Old Enemies
by Soxbabe
Summary: COMPLETED WITH EPILOGUE AND AUTHOR NOTE 7.25 Who would have known that the one person Bradin hated when he was little would become the one person he desired most when he moved to Playa Linda Longer Summary Inside
1. Incidents

Past Enemies

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Summerland; characters or places:)**

**Summary: **_Who would have known that the one person Bradin hated when he was little would become the one person he desired most when he moved to Playa Linda._ Bradin hated Melani when they were growing up in Hoggarth County, Kansas, so when she moved to California when they were 10, Bradin thanked God he never had to see her again. But life seemed to play games and both ended up in Playa Linda. Will the past be destined to repeat itself?

* * *

_Flashback 7 years_

"My mom got a job in California so I get to move there and get a house right on the beach, isn't that great?" Melani bragged to her friends as they waited outside of school.

"Finally, now I don't have to see your ugly face anymore" Bradin responded as he walked by with his friends

Melani stuck her tongue out at him "You're just jealous Bradin; you know you're never going to get out of here and I am. You'll be sorry when I'm famous and you're just another Kansas farm boy"

"I'd rather stay here Mel; that way I never have to see you again"

"Well, I'm happy I'm going, I'll be 4 states west of that" she said signaling to Bradin

"Ya know what Mel…" Bradin started

"Come on you two, Melani you're leaving in two days, can't you be nice? You'll probably never see Bradin again." Their teacher started

"Thank God" Bradin said

"Jerk" she said as she walked up the stairs to their classroom.

_7 Years later in Playa Linda_

Melani was walking down the beach with a group of her friends. She was tall and skinny, with brown hair and blue eyes. Just as they were all talking she walked straight into a boy walking in the opposite direction. Both fell onto the ground. Melani was the first one to say anything "Oh my God I'm so sorry, are you ok?" she said as she got up

"I'm fine, sorry" the boy responded, looking at her for the first time "Do I know you?" he asked

"I don't know, I feel like I know you too."

"Come on Mel, we're late" one of her friends yelled from down the beach

"Coming" she responded "I'll see you around ok?" she smiled at him then quickly turned and ran to catch up with her friends

Bradin watched her as she walked down the beach_ Mel, why is that name so familiar? Where do I know her from? _He thought as he walked down the beach. _This is so weird

* * *

_

Bradin walked into Beyond the Blue, Jay's surf shop "Hey Kansas" he heard

"Hey Erika" he responded as he walked into the back. "Do you anyone by the name of Mel?"

"Mel? Nope, at least not that I know of, why, got a crush Kansas?" She punched him in the arm

"No, its just I feel like I know her and I don't know from where or how. Is that weird"

"No, you probably knew her when you were little or something, don't worry about it. You'll see her around."

"Yeah, I guess so. Thanks Erika. Do you need any help or can I run?"

"Leave, go find your mystery girl" she laughed as Bradin walked out of the door.

* * *

"Do you guys know who that guy was?" Melani asked her friends as they continued down the beach 

"Who, the one u blatantly walked into?" One joked

"No his twin brother, yes him stupid. Man Lizzie, you're dumb" she said sarcastically

Lizzie shot her a look "He's new I think. From some God forsaken state in the middle of nowhere"

Melani laughed "And that's all you got? How are you going to run the gossip column in the school paper if all you can get is that he's new and from the mid-west?"

"Fine Miss Smarty-Pants. He's from Kansas, he just moved with his brother and sister to livewith their aunt, I don't know why and his name begins with a B"

"Thank-you." She replied "Wait, Kansas? That's where I'm from. That must be where I knew him from. What's his name"

"Brendan, Brian…" she started

"BRADIN?" Melani yelled, shocked

"That's it! Bradin. Ya know him huh? What's the gossip?" she said, smiling

"I _hated_ him when I was little, he was always so nice and polite, and then an ass to me and my friends. He was the reason I was happy to leave Kansas. Man he grew up good."

"Yeah he did"

They had finally reached the place they were walking to. "Ok, lets surf" she said as she picked up a board _Bradin Westerly in MY California. I can't wait to see him again, this'll be a year to remember_


	2. Remember Me?

Melani walked down the pier later that night. It was two days before school started up again and she was trying to enjoy the last bits of her summer vacation. Melani noticed Bradin inside the surf shop. "Hey Westerly" she yelled

Bradin walked out of the store to see the girl he ran into earlier walking toward him with a large group of people. "Hi?" he said uncertainly as she walked in front of him. "How do you know my last name?"

"I knew you wouldn't remember me"

Almost instantaneously he jumped in "Mel…Melani Lawrence. I knew I'd met you before"

"What the hell are you doing in Playa Linda, you told me you wanted to stay in boring Kansas." She said looking at him

"Some stuff happened and it didn't work out that way. Had I known _you_ were here, I would have stayed with my friends" he replied

"You have those?" she replied slyly

"Its nice to see you haven't changed, still as bitchy as ever."

"And you're still as much as an ass as you were when I left 7 years ago"

"The best 7 years of my life" he replied

"Yep, still an ass. You look different, ya know that?"

"I hope I look different than I did when I was 10." He said "You look different too, you were never this skinny"

"Are you saying I was fat?" she said defensively

"Maybe, what are you going to do about it?" he replied

"Don't play that game Bradin, I'm the co-captain of the cheerleading squad and most popular girl in my grade. I have power"

"Why doesn't that surprise me? You always were the bitchiest one in the grade, obviously you became a cheerleader. Though I'm not so sure you can match Ellie Roberts."

"Don't play perfect with me Bradin Westerly, I know you were on Varsity Basketball freshman and sophomore year. You haven't changed since I left and I haven't either"

"I'm not sure if that's reassuring or scary. I guess I'll just have see. How do you know so much about me? I thought you hated me"

"I did, and I still do, but I still talk to people from home and they tell me stuff I really don't care about, like stuff about you. Claire had the biggest crush on you last year, but I don't see why" she said as she started to walk down the pier. She turned to see him still standing there "Are you coming?" she said staring at him with her hands on her hips

"Depends, where are you going" he said as he walked up to her

"There's only one more day of summer left after tonight, where do you think I'm going?"

"No clue. I've been here almost 2 months and I still don't have a clue what goes on around here"

"You've been here 2 months and I haven't run into you yet? Oh you're so doomed on Monday. Come on, it'll be to your advantage to come to this party with me, then at least people will know who you are. Maybe I'll even let you sit at my table." She looked at him up and down"maybe not" she started walking down the pier.

Bradin followed her "So why are you being so nice to me? We were the worst enemies when we were little."

"Who says we aren't now? Haven't you heard the expression keep your friends close and your enemies closer? If you're near me I can watch everything you do, so I can catch you when you do something I don't like" she smiled evilly

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better, but I guess it's better to know someone at school even if they are an obnoxious brat from Kansas"

"Funny" she replied "I was thinking the same thing about you" she smiled as she walked down the stairs to the beach. "Come on farm boy, the party's not coming to you"

Bradin sighed and walked down the stairs. Melani grabbed his hand and dragged him down the beach toward a huge group of people. "Wow, talk about a big party" Bradin said

"Yeah, we do alright" Melani replied letting go of his hand "You better savor that moment; that was the last time I will ever hold your hand."

Bradin laughed, "You enjoyed it, don't lie" he joked

"Just like I enjoyed cleaning out the barn in Kansas." He replied "hey guys, this is Bradin, Bradin, this is the gang" A round of introductions followed. Melani soon disappeared into the crowd and Bradin was left with all his new peers

"You're gorgeous, you know that" one said "I'm Kelli by the way. Wanna go get something to drink?"

"Yeah, sure." He said following her. They walked toward the fire. Just as he reached the cooler he saw where Melani had disappeared to, she was sitting on a guy's lap happily making out with him and running her fingers through his hair. Bradin got a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach _what the hell, _he thought _I can't have feelings for her, she's Mel. If I do, I'm so dead_


	3. Life

"Bradin, someone's here to see you" Bradin's aunt Ava yelled to him from the main part of the house. It was mid-afternoon the next day.

Bradin came out of his room to see Melani talking to Nikki and Derek. "Mel, what are you doing here?"

"Taking you to tryouts, remember?" she said "We talked about this last night, I said you were a sure in for the surf team if I took you, remember…"

"Oh, yeah, well, I was thinking about not trying out…" he started

"Nope, not an option. Get your stuff, let's go. I'm not having people from home calling me and yelling because you're miserable here, just not going to happen. Now, tryouts are in a half an hour. GO!" she said.

"Mel why are you doing this, you hate me?" he said as he started to walk towards his room again.

She followed him to his room "Because I'm selfish and I don't want to see you in the halls all alone, because believe it or not, I will feel guilty" she said as she leaned against his doorway

"Oh you do have a heart, that's touching" he said as he walked up to her "maybe there's hope for you yet."

She rolled her eyes, "Keep on thinking that Farm Boy"

"Bye Aunt Ava, I'll be home later" he said as the two made their way up the stairs to the door

"Ok sweetie, have fun and good luck. Don't forget to call Jay and tell him if you're going to be late to work" she smiled

"I will, bye" he said

"Bye Nikki, bye Derek" Melani said smiling. The two waved, happy to see a familiar face in a very unfamiliar place.

Bradin blinked as he walked out the door, blinded by the bright California sun. He still wasn't used to all the aspects of living in Playa Linda.

"Throw your board in the back" she said as she walked up to a blue Mustang convertible "Then maybe I'll let you sit in the front with me"

Bradin laughed as he placed his board in the back seat "well, where do you want me to go?" he said smiling

"You can sit in the front, but if you touch my radio, I swear to God I will leave you on the side of the road." She laughed as he climbed in and soon enough they were on their way.

"So, being head cheerleader and all, where's the boyfriend?" he said jokingly

"He's in Mexico. He won't be back till Friday." She replied with a sigh

"Really, I was kinda kidding"

"Yep, his dad owns a resort there so he goes away for all the vacations and I'm left here all alone. And to answer your next question, we're exclusive when he's here but we're not when he's not because I get _really_ lonely _really_ fast"

"I wasn't going to ask that, but thanks for sharing" he laughed "So what's his name?" Bradin said, not really caring. Thinking about Melani had kept him up all night and around 5:30 he had decided that no matter how much he fought it, he liked her. Pure and simple

"James, he's the QB for the football team. We've been together for almost 2 years"

"Wow, that's a long time. You must really love him" Bradin said sadly

"No, I don't think I do, I just like having him around. But don't tell him I said that, I could get in trouble" They both laughed as she pulled into the parking lot of Two Brothers. "Come on, I'll introduce you to some people before I have to go to cheerleading practice" Bradin followed her as she walked down the beach. "Hey Lucas" she yelled to her friend.

"Hey Mel. Who's the new guy? You giving up on James finally?"

"Not funny Luke, he'd kill you if he knew you just said that and no. This is Bradin; he's trying out for the team. I was wondering if you could help him out since you're my bestest guy friend. Pleeeease?"

"How can I say no to you, its impossible" she smiled as he turned to Bradin "hey I'm Lucas, but you can call me Luke"

"I'm Bradin. So what do I have to do, I've only been surfing for a few months."

"No problem, Coach Andrews will tell us what he wants. Plus isn't Erika Spaulding your coach? She's probably taught you enough to get through tryouts"

"Cool" Bradin said. He liked Lucas and hoped they could get to be friends

"Awesome. I have to go to practice. You two be good. You're planning on coming to Lizzie's end of freedom party tonight, right?"

"Yep, what about you Bradin?" Lucas replied

"Sure, why not?" he said.

The coach yelled in the background "We should go over there" Lucas said.

Melani smiled as she walked to her car. _Don't go there_ she thought _think of what he'd do to you, he was horrible to you when you were little, what makes you think he's changed? Plus think of what James would do to him and you. It just can't happen. Give up now._ Melani hated when her head told her things she already knew and now she knew she was falling for Bradin, and that was nothing new…


	4. Partay!

A/N: Sorry its taken me so long to update, I really have limited time during my week and this was supposed to be my vacation :- / Oh well, I will try to have another one up soon and then at least one over the next school week. Hope ya enjoy!

* * *

Bradin walked into the party with Lucas. They both had made the team and were in a very good mood

"Hey Luke, Hey Bradin" Kelli said as she walked up to them "What's up?"

"Nothing really, what about you" Lucas asked, winking at her when he noticed she was staring at Bradin

"Um, nothing really. You guys want something to drink?" she responded

"Sure" Bradin said, smiling.

"You two go, I have to go find Lizzie, she owes me a dance" Lucas said and walked in the crowd, leaving the two alone

"So Bradin, tell me something about you, and not something stupid, like I like cats or whatever, something interesting" Kelli said as they walked

"I will if you do" he replied as she handed him a beer

"Deal" she said as they both sat down near the water

"Well, I know this sounds stupid, but I love to sing and write songs"

"Really?" Kelli asked "That's so cool, you have to whole Ryan Cabrera thing going on, that's so adorable"

He laughed "Now it's your turn" he said looking at her

"Ok, well, even though I'm a cheerleader and almost a junior in high school, I'm still a virgin, which is an accomplishment in this town"

"That's cool, I respect that" he said, looking at her

"Respect that, huh? I supposed that means you're not?" she said smiling

"Um, no, I lost it to my ex-girlfriend from Kansas. I wish I hadn't though, it just made it that much harder to leave" he looked at the water sadly

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad" she said putting her arm around him

"It's ok, it's just hard. I had so much there and now I seem to have nothing. It's a big change"

"You're wrong Bradin, you know that?" she said smiling once again

"How am I wrong?" he said looking at her

"You said you have nothing, and you're wrong, you have me and like it or not, you seem to have Mel, mind _and_ heart, but she'd kill me if she found out I told you"

"No way, Melani and I have a past that's… well, I don't think it would ever happen. Plus, doesn't she have a boyfriend?"

"You mean James? If I had my way she'd have dumped him the day after she started dating him. I don't trust him as far as I can see him. You two would be much cuter together" she said

"Keep on dreaming Kelli" he said laughing "plus, who says I like her, maybe I like someone else, maybe I like you"

She laughed "trust me, you like her, and on the me topic, I already have my heart set on someone else. I go for brunettes anyway, but I would like to be your friend if that's ok?"

"Yeah, I guess I can deal with having another friend. How do you know me so well after one party?" he said

"It's a gift" she said laughing "Come on, lets go find the girl of your dreams, then I can go find the guy of mine"

"This isn't a good idea" he said as Kelli pulled him up and toward the party "she _doesn't_ like me, and she has a boyfriend"

"I'm her best friend, all she needs is a push in the right direction and that's exactly what I'm going to do. You'll both thank me soon enough" they walked through the crowd and saw Melani sitting on one of the lawn chairs talking to a bunch of people "Hey Mel" she said and sat on the edge of her chairs. "You two should dance, kinda like a blast from the past thing" Bradin noticed she winked at Mel

"Are you asking?" Melani said looking at Bradin

"Sure, why not?" he said, smiling. Her heart melted as she swore his green eyes twinkled in the moonlight

"Well then, let's do it, I never turn down a dance."

She got up and Bradin slipped his hand into hers as he led her onto the dance floor. It was a slow song, so she placed her arms around his neck and he placed his arms around her waist. They swayed perfectly in sync with each other. Melani placed her head on his chest, feeling him breathe. Everything felt so perfect. She inhaled the smell of him; he was wearing Axe, her favorite body spray. She looked up and saw him looking down at her. She smiled and suddenly found herself rising up to him. She felt his lips touch hers, they were smooth and warm. It was pure heaven. The moment was quickly cut short when they heard someone yell, "HEY! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU MAKING OUT WITH MY GIRLFRIEND?"


	5. Meet James

Melani spun around, quickly letting go of Bradin "James sweetie, what are you doing here?" she ran up to him and gave him a hug, which he allowed but didn't hug back. "You told me you weren't coming back till Friday" she said, trying to both block Bradin and look innocent.

"I decided to come back early to check on my girlfriend, but I have to admit, I didn't expect you to be hooking up with some random guy at a party" he said, now shifting his gaze from Melani to Bradin

She quickly noticed the change in gaze and grabbed his hand "Come on, let's talk about this" she said, still trying to draw his attention from Bradin to her. When she noticed the fire in his eyes she pleaded "Please James, please…"

His gaze steered from Bradin to her "Fine, let's go" he said briskly and literally pulled her away from everyone. She mouthed _sorry_ to Bradin and then was hurried out of sight.

Kelli ran up to him "Are you ok, I tried to stop him, but he saw you guys before I had a chance to" she looked genuinely worried

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" he asked confused

"He's really, really overprotective of Mel and he had fire in his eyes when he saw you two kissing. You should probably stay near people who can convince him not to hit you, cause I have a feeling unless you leave now, you won't make it out of here unharmed"

"He's that bad huh?" Bradin said, looking in the direction Melani had left

"Yeah, he's that bad" she said "Come on, lets go over here" she pulled him away "Listen, I don't mean to scare you, but you need to watch out for James" she said in a whisper "He's really powerful in school and if you and Mel get any closer, he's going to boil over, which might be bad for you, but it'll be a whole lot worse for her"

"What do you mean worse for her? He doesn't do anything to her does he?" Bradin asked nervously

Kelli sighed "She'd never admit it, but I think he does" she looked Bradin in the eyes "You can't say anything to her though; she gets really mad at me when I bring up my suspicions. Just watch your back ok? I don't want you to get hurt"

"How can she stay with him if he hurts her? I thought she was smarter than that?"

"I don't know, like I said, she hasn't come out and said he does but she fights with him then comes to practice the next day with marks on her. What else am I supposed to think?"

"Nothing, you're probably right. I should leave, that way neither of us can get hurt" he turned to walk home

"Please don't go Bradin. I want you to stay. I'd feel better if you stayed" she said

"Then I'll stay. I just hope Mel's ok" he said

"Me too" Kelli said as they walked back to the party "me too"

* * *

James pulled Melani far down the beach so they weren't near anyone before he turned to look at her "What's his name?" he said angrily

"Who?" she said innocently, looking down at the sand

He grabbed her and made her look at him. She saw the anger in his eyes "Bradin, his name is Bradin" she said quietly

"What, was he your summer fling while I was gone?" he yelled

"Bradin?" she laughed "No way, he used to live in Kansas with me and he moved here earlier this summer. I just ran into him yesterday"

"Like I believe that" he said angrily

"Why the hell are you yelling at me? We said that we could see other people when you were away, you never got mad when I hooked up with guys before" she yelled back

"That's because I never saw you making out with them!" he yelled back

"That's all I did though, at least I don't sleep with them!" she screamed. It took her a moment to realize what had just come out of her mouth "I'm sorry James, I didn't mean that" she said quietly, knowing the fall out of that outburst would be big.

"No, you're right" he said, letting go of her "I shouldn't have slept with that girl over spring break, but I didn't sleep with anyone this summer. I waited to be with you"

"You didn't sleep with anyone?" she said, shocked

"Nope, you?" he said, staring at her once again

"Do you even have to ask? I told you I'd never do that and I haven't. You're the only one I've been with" she said

"Good. Come on; let's go back to the party. I just can't wait to spend the rest of the night with my gorgeous girlfriend" he said, putting his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in tightly

"Are you sucking up to me?" she said sweetly

"No, just stating a fact" he said as they walked into the crowd. "Now be a good girl and get us drinks" She rolled her eyes and walked toward the cooler. James noticed the guy she had been dancing with sitting on the sand with Kelli, Lucas and a bunch of other people. He walked over to them "Hey" he said to Lucas

"Hey James" Lucas said "This is Bradin Westerly, he's new" he said motioning to Bradin

"I know" he said "Can I talk to you Bradin; it'll just take a second"

Kelli tightened her grasp on Bradin's hand, but she knew he would go with him "Sure" he said getting up. They both walked until they were far away from the group.

"I'm going to make this short and simple" James said "Stay the hell away from my girlfriend and you'll get to stay looking the way you do"

"Is that a threat" Bradin asked mockingly

"No, it's a promise" James said, looking him in the eyes

"Well bring it on" Bradin said "Because I'm not going to stay away from my _friend_ just because her stuck-up jock of a boyfriend told me to"

James glared at him "Fine" he said and before Bradin had a chance to realize what he had just gotten himself into, James' fist rammed into his left eye.

"JAMES" they heard someone scream. Mel ran over to Bradin who had been knocked onto the ground from the blow. "What the hell are you doing? We talked about this; he's just a friend, why can't you get that through your thick skull?" she yelled

"I'm fine Mel" Bradin said standing up

"No you're not! He had no right to hit you." She turned from Bradin to James "I swear to God James, if you _ever_ hurt _any_ of my friends ever again, we'll be so done!" she turned to Bradin again "Come on, I'll take you home that way I can tell your aunt what happened so she doesn't kill you" She put his arm around her neck to help guide him

"Remember what I said Westerly" James yelled "I always keep my promises"


	6. Sorry

Melani stood by her locker at after Lunch. She had already decorated her it with Kelli and was now looking for her Algebra II book. Kelli and Bradin walked down the hall toward her.

Just before they got to her, James came out of the classroom near her and walked over to her locker "Hey sweetie" he said, leaning against the locker next to hers. She glared at him; then proceeded to slam her locker, which was about 2 inches from his face, and started down the hall. "Come on baby, talk to me!" he called after her

Melani turned around in pure anger "Don't _baby_ me! You gave my friend a very ugly accessory last night; don't think you can sweet-talk your way out of this one!"

"Are you still mad about that, come on, get over it" he said

"Leave it to you to get on my bad side when I'm pissed at you" she said angrily

"I'm not trying to, you just won't listen!" he yelled back

"We are not having this discussion here. I am not making a scene in the middle of the hall on our first day of school. Half the teachers here hate me anyway; I don't want to add more to the list. If you want to talk about your immaturity, then we can go somewhere else" she turned and started walking down the hall.

James ran after her "I want to talk. Please Mel; you have to listen to me"

She turned around and looked at him "Fine" she pulled him into the junior lounge.

"What I did last night was stupid. I don't know what got over me, I was just so jealous. Please find it in your heart to forgive me. I really care about you, and I'd hate to loose you because of a stupid action"

Melani looked him in the eyes. He seemed so sincere, but she knew this routine so well. He continually hurt her, both emotionally and physically and he always came back with these lines "How do I know this time will be different James? You promised me you'd never hurt me again before you left, and you were here all of 10 minutes before you broke that promise"

"I know; it was stupid. I'll apologize to Bradin; just don't give up on me. Please Mel" He looked at her with pleading eyes

"You'll really apologize, and mean it?"

"Yeah, I will"

"James we've been here before. At least now I know why all the guys I meet when you're gone suddenly don't talk to me anymore. If you apologize and are truly sincere about it, then yes, I'll stay with you, but if I even detect a hint of anything, I'm out" she looked at him seriously.

"Thank you baby, you don't know how much this means to me! I love you Mel, I really do. I missed you" he kissed her on the head

"I missed you too. Now go, you're class is in the other building, I don't want you to be late." He leaned over kissed her and then ran down the hall. She sighed and rolled her eyes as Kelli walked in

"How can you forgive him Mel?" Kelli asked, angrily "after all the shit he puts you through, how can you forgive him for everything? If you hadn't stopped him, Bradin would look a hell of a lot worse than he does now. How can you just write him off?"

"First off, you shouldn't eavesdrop, it's bad. Secondly, what shit has he put me through?"

"He abuses you Mel, whether you want to admit it or not, he does, both emotionally and physically!" she yelled

"You're supposed to be my best friend. I told you he doesn't, why the hell can't you believe me? He loves me!"

"That's not what I said Mel, I know you're really defensive about this, but he does, I've seen him do it." Her voice got quiet "I saw him hit you last year"

Melani grew silent. "When" she said quietly

"At Alexis' pre-rally party in May. Remember I confronted you after it but you…"

"I told you that you didn't have a clue what you were talking about" she sighed and sat on one of the couches.

Kelli came and sat down next to her "Why didn't you just tell me? And why are you still with him. He's horrible to you"

"You want to know the truth; I stay with him because I'm afraid what will happen if I break up with him. At least now I know what to expect, I try really, really hard to not make him mad, he only hits me when he is or really drunk. If I break up with him, then I run the risk of him getting a new girlfriend and hurting her. At least _I_ know how to deal with him" she sighed

"Bradin really cares about you, why don't you just date him?"

"Did you just miss my whole speech? Plus if I ditch James and date him, James will make his life miserable, I couldn't live with that on my conscience. I just stay where I am, ya know, keep the status quo."

"No one deserves to be hit Mel, no one" she said sadly

"I know, but at least I know how to deal with it. I'm staying with him. Period" she got up and walked out of the room, head hanging.

Kelli sighed _I have to get them together, they'd be so perfect together. They have to be together, whether she's with James or not.

* * *

_

A/N: Sorry this chapter is bad, I just wanted the background out there. The next ones will be much more interesting as Melani's feelings for Bradin grow. -Steph


	7. The Whole Story

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, i was in Houston from Wednesday til Sunday afternoon and all my stuff was on my comp back in MA. Thanks for all the great reviews!**

Ava opened the door. It was raining out, and Melani was soaked through and through. She had been walking and thinking, it was really ironic that it was raining on the 1st day of school "Bradin" Ava called "Melani's here"

Bradin walked down the stairs "Hey, what's up?"

"Can I talk to you for a second? I promise that's all it'll take" she said looking at him

"Sure" he led her into his bedroom. "What's going on?"

"I have a problem and I need your help." She said "First off, did James apologize to you today?"

"Yeah, why?" he said

"No reason. Now here's my problem. I really really like you. I'm really happy I found you because you make me feel really happy, for the first time in a long time. When I kissed you last night, everything felt perfect." She stopped talking and looked at him, waiting for a reaction. He did nothing so she continued "Ok, so I lied that's not my problem. This is the real problem. I want to be with you, like really be with you, but if I even bring up the idea of breaking up with James, you're dead" she sighed and looked at him. He had the most amazing green eyes she had ever seen.

"What do you want me to say to that Mel?" he said "It looks like you have the answer right in front of you, it's the choice you need to make."

"Ok, you're not helping at all" she sighed "I can't leave him Bradin, but I can't _not_ be with you. I think about you all the time, this is such a 360 of how I felt when we were little" she lied

"Mel, I care about you, but I'm not going to be second best to this guy. If I'm going to be with you, I want to know that I'm the only one in your life"

"Well then I guess you can't have me Bradin. I can't leave him. We'll both be in bad shape if I do" she sighed "It was a bad idea to come here, I gotta go" she turned to and started walking to the door

"Wait!" Bradin yelled "What do you mean we'll both be in bad shape?"

Mel turned around and looked at him _You can't tell him, you just told your best friend like 4 hours ago, how can you just let him in? You really have fallen for him_. "Bradin, it's complicated." she replied

"Try me" he said, taking her hand. He led her to his bed, where he sat her down, then sat down.

"Bradin, I don't want to tell you because you might do something stupid"

"I won't, promise" he said

"Trust me, you can't promise that" She stood up and started pacing the room back and forth

"Mel, sit." he said firmly. She sighed and sat down next to him again "Now please tell me, I can't help unless you do"

"Ok, but it's a long story, ok?"

"ok" he said

"Ok" she sighed "Well first you need to know how I ended up with James, because that's the only reason you'll understand half of why I stay with him" he nodded so she continued "when we started high school as freshmen, we didn't know each other at all, he went to Central and I went to South. We were the only freshmen to make Varsity sports, myself in cheerleading and him in football." She looked at him and saw he was paying close attention "So, the night before homecoming we went to the annual football/cheerleader party, only varsity players allowed. I was really scared because I had a bad feeling about what I was expected to do now being a high school cheerleader. So I hung out with the 2 sophomores that were there and I ran into James. He seemed just as scared as I was; which was a huge relief to me. We ended up talking and we got along really well. Everything seemed great, till his captain came up to him and my captain came up to me and literally pushed us into a bedroom together. I totally freaked, like was borderline in hysterical tears, freaked and ya know what he did. He hugged me and told me not to worry, that he wasn't like that and we fell asleep talking about our lives. He doesn't seem so bad right?"

Bradin nodded "Not at all. He seems nothing like the monster I encountered last night"

"He wasn't. So we started dating and we were dubbed the perfect couple." She rolled her eyes "And I fell for him so bad, it was unbelievable, so when he asked me to do stuff, I just did it because in my mind I was in love with him, little did I know that you can't be in love at 14, you just can't. And i'm little, i'mone of the youngest people inour grade, i just turned 16 like a week ago.So anyway, one night he was really drunk and he wanted to have sex, but I knew he had been drinking, so I told him 'no'. That was probably the biggest mistake of my life to this point. He hit me so hard I had a cut on my face for a good two weeks. That was February of freshman year."

Bradin looked at Melani. He could tell how hard it was for her to tell him this story. "So if that was in freshman year, why are you with him now, we're juniors"

She laughed "Because every time he does it he promises he won't do it again. I stayed with him in the beginning because of what he did that night at the party, I kept hoping he would transform back into that guy. I'm not that naive anymore. I guess part of me still wishes he'd change, but he won't. The real reason I stay with him is because I'm afraid to leave him. Does that make any sense?"

"Honestly, not really" Bradin said

She looked him in the eyes, but quickly turned away "I'm scared of what he'll do to me if I tell him I want out, and I'm scared of what he'll do if I start dating someone else to him and me, but most of all I'm scared of what he'll do to the next girl if I leave him" she sighed "Wow, that was the first time I've told anyone that whole story."

"Well I'm happy you told me Mel." The two sat in silence for a while. Mel shivered, which was the first time Bradin realized she was soaked from the rain "Let me grab you something dry to wear" he said getting up

"No it's ok, I should probably head home, my mom's probably going nuts, I got home from school, dropped off my car then left. She's probably having a heart attack as we speak" she smiled and got up "Thanks for letting me vent on you Bradin, I really was on track when I had a crush on you when we were little"

"No way, you hated me" he said defensively

"Haven't you ever heard little girls are mean when they like someone? After all, how could I get over you, you were my first kiss" she winked at him as she walked out of his door, leaving him very confused

"Wait a second" he called "I'll walk you home, ok?"

Melani smiled "Whoa, slow down farm boy" she laughed "who said I want you to walk me home?"

"I did" he replied "Let's go" he wrapped his arm around her waist

She looked at his arm as they walked down the beach toward her house. She redirected her vision from his arm to his eyes "Bradin, can you promise me something?" she said quietly

"Anything" he said looking at her

"You have to promise you won't tell anyone about James, or do anything to try and stop it. I'll pay for it in the end"

"I won't do anything that would hurt you Mel" he replied

"That's not what I asked Bray, please promise me this"

"I promise Mel"

They walked in silence till they got to the back door of her house "Thanks Bradin, you really helped me today" she said

"It's nothing, really I'm glad we talked" She hugged him. He felt something wet hit his shirt "Don't cry Mel, please don't"

"I just want to be with you so bad, I cant get over it, but I just cant and it really sucks" she whined

"Well then, let's be together" he said looking at her in the eyes

"How is that possible?" she said

"No one has to know but us. You can't leave James, and I can't make you, but when you said you can't be without me something clicked, cause that's exactly how I've been feeling"

A smile spread across her face "Well, aren't I a slut, having two boyfriends?" they laughed "No, this works for me, I can have the man of my dreams and still protect the innocent girls of Playa Linda" she leaned over and kissed him quickly "To keep you going till we can be alone again"

"I'm going to need something more than that" he said laughing. He pulled her in and passionately kissed her.

Fireworks flew in front of her eyes _He's something special._ She thought _I just hope this doesn't end up hurting both of us_. She reluctantly pulled away "See ya tomorrow farm boy" she said smiling and walked into her house

_This is going to be an interesting year_ he thought as he walked back to his house _I'm now helping someone I used to hate be an adulteress. _


	8. School

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update, i plan on doin at least a chapter a night this weekend so there will be at least 2 more! Thanks for all the kick-ass reviews!

* * *

Life went on as if nothing bad were happening, though Mel and Bradin knew that what they were doing was wrong on so many levels. Each day seemed just like the other, Mel would be James' perfect girlfriend at school, practice and any other school event, then she would go home and Bradin would be waiting for her. She grew to dread days and wish the nights would never end.

Bradin walked down the hall with Kelli. The two had become really good friends. She was the only one who knew about Bradin and Mel's secret affair. "I hate Algebra" she whined. They had just gotten back from class and she had gotten a 70 on her test "Math is supposed to be numbers, not letters"

Bradin laughed "I told you I'd help you" he said smiling

"Just because you're a math genius doesn't mean you have to rub it in" she said "I still have a higher GPA than you"

"That's just because I suck at History more than you suck at Algebra" they both laughed.

Mel walked up them "Hey guys, what's up?" she said, winking at Bradin

"Nothing really, Bradin's failing history though" Kelli said with a laugh

"No way, how can you fail history? I didn't even know that was possible!" she laughed

"I'm not failing Kelli, I have a C, which matches _your_ Algebra grade" he said mockingly

"You two deserve each other." Mel said, rolling her eyes

"Sorry Mel, not all of us can get straight A's" Kelli said, Bradin nodding an agreement

"It's a gift" she said smiling.

They all laughed as James walked over and put his arm around Mel's shoulders. "Hey baby" he said, kissing the top of her head.

"Hey" she said, not adding any affectionate name to the end, nor did she kiss him back. She knew it drove Bradin crazy to see her with him. "Ready for Lunch?"

"I was thinking we could go off campus, just the two of us" he said, smiling.

"What if I don't want to?" she said, sweetly mocking him

"I don't know" he said, then whispered in her ear "I'll make it worth it babe"

She laughed "Well, I guess I'm going off campus for lunch. I'll see you guys in Physics, ok?"

They both nodded. Mel and James started walking down the hall. Bradin's stomach did a flip-flop as he saw James put his hand in her back pocket. Before hitting the door, Mel turned around and mouthed _sorry _to Bradin. He sighed, knowing that this was just part of their relationship "Let's go" he said finally "I need to do something to get my mind off what they're doing" Kelli smiled and nodded.

* * *

"James where are we going?" Melani whined "I'm going to miss 6th period!"

"I told you I'd make this worth it" he said. The two were driving down the highway in James' convertible

"I don't want you to make it worth it James, I just want to get something to eat then go back to school" she whined

"Oh man will you stop whining? You got bitchy over the summer" he said

"Excuse me? You did not just call me bitchy!" she said appalled

"I did." He said boldly "What's up with you, you've been acting weird all week. This has nothing to do with your new best friend does it?" he said frustrated

"Who, Bradin? No it has nothing to do with him, it does however have everything to do with you" she said angrily "Ever since you got back from Mexico you've been treating me like an object. Reality Check sweetie, I'm a person. I could get any guy in our God damn school, so don't make me choose one" she turned to look out the window

James rolled his eyes "You really need to get over this PMS stuff Mel, it's not that attractive"

"Who said that wasn't the plan? If you haven't noticed, I'm not really that interested in sleeping with you right now." She said matter-of-factly

"I did notice" he replied as he pulled off the highway onto a side-street.

Melani noticed the road almost instantaneously "Why are you bringing me here" sheasked quietly

"Because" he said simply, pulling over and turning off the car "Come on" he said, grabbing her hand. She gave him a nervous look "Trust me" he said and pulled her out of the car, much to her dismay.

* * *

Bradin and Kelli waited outside the room to their physics class until the bell rang. "Where the hell is she?" Kelli thought out loud

"I don't know" Bradin said, "But we better get in before Mr. Larson fails us both" The two sighed and entered the classroom.

45 tedious minutes later the bell rang signaling the end of class. Kelli and Bradin were now sick with worry about what had happened to Melani. Just as they walked into the courtyard to get to their class they saw Mel walk out the main door, obviously in a daze

"Mel!" Kelli yelled "Where the hell have you been?" Melani whispered something to Kelli right before Bradin walked over to them. Kelli sighed and hugged her. "Don't let it phase you, he's just screwing with your mind."

Melani nodded "Hey Brae" she said trying to smile

"You ok?" he said. She could tell he was worried

"I'm fine, don't worry about me" she said smiling "Wanna walk me to AP Bio?"

"Sure, what are friends for" he said winking

They walked down the open-air hallways toward the west building "I have practice till 6, so I can meet you at the usual spot at like 7 ok? That way it'll be just as the sun sets"

"Cool, I have practice till 5, so I'll stop home and check in with my aunt before"

They arrived at her classroom and she smiled "You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now" she whispered

"I can imagine" he whispered back

"See ya lata Brae" she said laughing as she walked into the classroom

"Lata Mel" he said turning to get to his class _how can I have fallen so fast? _He thought _This is too fast, right?_


	9. Secret Meetings

Melani walked out of the gym at 6:00. Practice had just gotten over and she was walking to her car

"MEL!" she heard someone yell

"What's up Jenn?" she said, addressing her co-captain

"Can you stay for a little while, we're trying to plan what we're going to do at the next game" she replied

Mel looked at her watch, 6:02, "Sure" she said and proceeded back into the gym

* * *

"Perfect" Jenn said, "Thanks, now we can go" They had just finished the whole plan for the game against their rival that Friday night

Melani looked at her watch, 6:47, "Awesome" she said "I gotta run my mom's gunna have a cow. See ya tomorrow" She knew she wouldn't have time to go home and change before meeting Bradin; she was going to be late as it is. She sighed as she turned on her car and sped out of the parking lot. She didn't mind making up for lost time with Bradin, not one bit

* * *

Bradin looked at his watch as he waiting by Spanish Cove. They always met there because no one who was there would be paying much attention to anyone else but the person they happened to be with. He sighed, 7:10, _she's never late_ he thought _what happened to her today? _His thoughts were interrupted by someone's hands over his eyes; before he had a chance to pull them off he felt warm soft lips hit his.

A second later, he breathed as their lips parted "That's for not being able to kiss you in the hall" Mel said smiling "Sorry I'm late, I had captain stuff I had to deal with"

"No problem" he said, "You can make it up to me later" grabbing her hand

"Or I could make it up to you now" she said as she smashed her lips in his. He felt her tongue press against his lips before he totally opened his mouth to her. _Damn she's a good kisser_ he thought. A few minutes later the two reluctantly pulled away, in grave need of oxygen

"You're a hell of a kisser Farm Boy, you know that?" she said, smiling

"You're not so bad yourself" he said smirking as he dived in again.

* * *

The two walked down the beach hand in hand, occasionally stopping to kiss. The moonlight reflected on the ocean, but not too brightly. The two stopped and sat down on the cool sand, hands still interlocked.

Bradin looked at her, he could tell there was something on her mind "Where are you Mel, cause you're sure as hell not here"

Melani sighed "I don't know; I just keep going back to today" She buried her feet in the sand as she looked out at the ocean

Bradin put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close "What happened, you know you can tell me"

"It's nothing really, he just knows how to get under my skin" she leaned into him and put her head on his chest as he tightened his grip on her. She was now sitting in between his legs

Bradin hesitated to ask what he did, a part of him wanted to console her, but part of him didn't want to know what she did with that jerk. "What did he do?" he asked finally.

Melani looked up into his deep green eyes. She could tell he cared about her "He didn't do anything technically. He just took me somewhere I don't like going" she said turning away from his glance

Bradin sighed "Ok, when you want to talk about it I'll be here" still holding her tight

A few minutes of silence followed. Melani breathed slowly, her head still resting on Bradin's chest. "He took me to the place where I was almost raped" she said quietly

Bradin drew away from her and looked her in the eyes "When did that happen and why would he bring you there?" he said, shocked

"It happened June of freshman year." She said "He brought me there because it was him who stopped it from happening. He uses it to screw with my mind, like 'if I didn't care about you I wouldn't have saved you' He always takes me there when he thinks I'm not into him anymore" she turned away from his eyes and looked out at the ocean "It's supposed to be my reality check"

"Mel, that's horrible. How could he take you somewhere that he knows brings you so much pain?" he asked sympathetically

"He doesn't do it intentionally. He just knows that when I go there I remember that night and I remember how he helped me. It's supposed to remind me how much he loves me and it usually works"

"Usually?"

"Yeah, sometimes I get mad because I don't want to be there, sometimes I cry, but today for the first time it didn't make me realize how much he loves me, rather it made me realize how manipulative he is. I think you had something to do with it"

Bradin smiled "All I want to do is help you Mel"

"I know. You do, whether you know it or not, you really do. You give me away out" He smiled, his eyes reflecting the moonlight "I know how much it hurts you to see me with him, but I'm trying, really I am" she said

"It does hurt me, but I know how hard you try not to be all over him when I'm around"

"I try not to be all over him period, it's only been a week and a half since he got back and he's already tried to sleep with me twice."

"And you haven't done it?" Bradin said confusedly "Won't that ruin the whole 'act like we normally would' plan?"

"No, I usually don't like him all over me. Plus, I don't want to sleep with him. I can tell he cares about me, but there's only one person I want to be with and he cares about me a lot more than James does"

Bradin smiled knowing she was talking about him "Yeah, I know that guy and he really does care for you, more than you think he does" He kissed her, his warm breathe filling her mouth, followed by his tongue. He pushed her so she was lying on the sand, him on top of her.

She pushed him off of her "Whoa, slow down farm boy. I said I wanted to be with you, not under you" she said laughing. Bradin was about to kiss her again when the alarm on her watch went off "Oh man, it's 11:30, my mom's gunna kill me if I'm not home by curfew"

"My aunt will kill me too, I'm late" He stood up then helped her up. They started walking down the beach, letting the waves hit their feet. They got to Melani's house and Bradin walked her up to the back door "See ya tomorrow" he said

"Yeah, and I promise, we'll finish what we started tonight soon" she kissed him on the cheek and walked up the first stair

"Is that all I get?" he said and gave her his puppy-dog pout

"No" she said, and walked down and kissed him hard on the lips, her tongue massaging his. A minute later they broke away "Good Night Babe" she said

"Good Night Angel" he replied

"Angel? I like that" she kissed him again then turned and walked into her house

Bradin walked along the beach to his house _It's good she lives so close _he thought as he got his key out and opened the back door to his room. His aunt was sitting on his bed, apparently waiting for him to come in. Before he had a chance to respond she had grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him out of the room into the living room

"Where have you been, it's almost 45 minutes past your curfew!" she whispered angrily

"I was helping a friend with a problem. I lost track of time, honest aunt Ava"

Ava sighed "Fine, but don't let it happen again. Is your friend ok?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine. Good night aunt Ava" he said as he turned back to his room

"Sweet Dreams Bradin" she replied as he closed the door. _Don't worry, if they're about Mel they will be_


	10. Announcements

A/N: thanks for all the awesome reviews! They totally make my day!

* * *

James sat in homeroom the next morning surrounded by his usually crowd of friends. He was waiting for Melani to come in. She walked in laughing with Bradin and Kelli

"Ya know James, if I didn't know any better, I'd think Mel was dating Kansas over there, not you" his friend said

"Shut up Mike" He said, angrily "You don't think I know that"

"Whatcha gunna do about it?" Allie said "I'm loosing my friend outta this, you better have a plan; Mel never hangs with me anymore"

"I do, I just have to finish thinking it through. It has to be something he won't tell her and something she can't find out about"

"Don't think too hard, you might hurt yourself" Allie said smartly

"I won't. Look at him; he likes her so much it's pathetic"

"Well, call her over; see if she leaves him for you" Brian, another friend said

"Fine" he said "Mel" he called "Mel, baby come here"

Mel looked over in his direction and smiled "Be back in a sec" she said to Bradin and Kelli, rolled her eyesand walked over to James "What's up hun?" she said sweetly

"Nothing, I wanted you to come sit with me" he said looking her in the eyes

"Why?" she said laughing

"Because I asked you to. That should be enough" he said roughly

"It is" she replied "Let me grab a chair" she turned to walk away, but he grabbed her hand

"No, your fine" he said pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her

She sighed and slowly lowered her head onto his shoulder. _Something just doesn't feel right. I was in almost this same position last night and everything felt so right, why does it now feel so wrong, was it because last night I was with Bradin and now I'm with James?_ Her mind was racing a mile a minute as the morning announcements came on. No one listened as usual until they heard

_**Tickets for the Playa Linda High Homecoming Dance will go on sale Wednesday at all lunches. Tickets are $35.00 each or $65.00 per couple. When you buy your tickets you can also place a nomination for homecoming king and queen, as usual there will be one set per grade. In other news…**_

The homeroom started buzzing. Homecoming was the one ofbiggest events of the beginning of school, only second to the Fall Ball. "we're going together right?" James said looking at her

"Are you asking?" she replied

"Yeah, I am" he said, still looking at her in the eys

"Of course I'll go with you" he kissed her on the forehead

"You're so going to win queen again" Allie whined

"You don't know that Allie, I might not" she replied smiling

"You've won the past two years, even I can't compete with you!" Allie said "And I always get what I want!"

Mel laughed. "That's because everyone loves me, and I really don't know why"

"The 'captain of the cheerleaders' tag might have something to do with it" Brian said

"Or the dating a captain of the football team thing" Mike said

"Ok when you say it like that you make it sound like our grade's really shallow"

"What it's true! Varsity since you were a freshman, dating another varsity player with the same record, it's a recipe for school royalty" Allie argued

"I knew I dated him for a reason" Mel said laughing. James shot her a look "Oh get over it, I'm still into you" she softly kissed his lips, leaving him wanting more. Just as he was about to kiss her back, the bell rang. She hopped off his lap "I'll see y'all at lunch" and walked over to Kelli and Bradin and picked up her bag. "See ya lata" she said and walked quickly out of the room

"That was weird" Bradin said as they left the room walking to class

"Not really" Kelli responded "she's not here right now. They say 'Homecoming Queen' and a little bell goes off in her head. She'll be in a daze for at least the first ½ of the day"

"Why?" Bradin said

"Because she's been homecoming queen the past two years, and James has been king. I honestly think that if she doesn't get it she'll go into shock"

"Ok, that makes no sense"

"Yes it does, she goes all out for stuff like this, I can't wait to see her at Prom! Come on, we're going to be late" the two friends ran to class just as the bell rang

* * *

Melani walked around in a daze all morning, just as Kelli had predicted. By lunch she had gotten almost back to normal. She sat down with her two friends at lunch smiling

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Kelli said

"Nothing, I just love homecoming!" she said happily.

As she said this a senior walked over to them "Hey Mel"

"Hey Jason, what's up" she replied

"Nothing, I was just wondering if you had a date to homecoming yet?"

"Yeah, I'm going with James, sorry" she said apologetically

"I had a feeling. I'll see you at the game on Friday, ok? Save a cheer for me"

"Totally" she smiled as he walked away

"Ok, you need to direct some of that date stuff to me" Kelli replied "He was a senior!"

"I know he was, but honestly, you can take anyone you want Kel."

"No I can't, but I do have someone in mind"

The wheels in Mel's head began to turn"actually I lied, take Bradin, that way I don't have to worry about him"

"What?" Bradin responded "I need to be watched now?"

"No, its just I don't want some brainless bimbo all over you."

"Who said I wouldn't want that?" he said mockingly

"Well if you do then we're not going to finish what we started last night" she said matching his tone

"Well I don't want that" he said laughing

"Ok, I don't want to know" Kelli said.

The three laughed as Allie walked over "Hey" Allie said smiling

"Hey" They replied

"Bradin, I was wondering if you already had a date for homecoming?" she said

A knot formed in Mel's stomach. Hesmiled as he looked at her "No, why?" he replied

"Because I was wondering if you wanted to be my date?" she said, smiling sweetly, obviously trying to impress him

"Aren't they guys supposed to ask the girls?" Bradin said, trying to draw away from answering the question

"I suppose" Allie said, sensing he didn't want to go with her

"He's right Al" Melani responded. She turned to him "_You_ need to ask _her_"

Bradin gave her a you-really-want-me-to look. Her eyes slowly blinked giving him the ok "Allie would you like to go to homecoming with me?" he said, looking at Allie

"I would love to!" she said happily and kissed him on the cheek. The knot in Mel's stomach tightened. "Here's my number, call me later!" she said happily as she walked away

"So much for no brainless bimbos" Mel said rolling her eyes

"I thought she was your friend?" Bradin said "And you walked me into it!"

"She _is_ my friend, and I know she likes you. Just don't do anything with her you wouldn't want me to know about, ok?"

"I won't, there's only one person I want to be with"

Mel smiled "Well then I might let us finish uptonight, or soon." She got up smiling"See ya lata Kelli, bye Brae" And with that she walked off to her next class, leaving Bradin's mind racing


	11. Pain

"I can't see you tonight. I have go out with James" Melani said into her phone

"That's fine Mel, I have to close up the shop for Jay anyway, then Lucas and I were going to hang out. I'll see you tomorrow at school ok? Or maybe we'll run into you two" Bradin responded

"Sounds good. See ya tomorrow" she said

"Bye Angel" he said before hanging up

_Bye my love_ she thought as she hung up the phone

* * *

Melani and James walked along the promenade hand in hand. They had just gotten back from a movie. Melani wasn't really paying attention to what was going on around her, she was just thinking of Bradin "MEL" she heard, bringing her back to reality

"Yeah hun?" she said

"Did you hear a word I just said?" he replied

"Sorry, my mind was somewhere else, homecoming you know" she smiled weakly

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close "We'll have fun, just like last year, I promise"

Mel's stomach did a flip-flop as she remembered last year's homecoming. The two had won king and queen and appropriately had gotten totally wasted and had sex; something Mel wasn't keen on repeating. "A huh" she responded, trying to shake that image

He kissed her on the forehead as one of his friends walked over "Hey dude" he said, hitting knuckles with him

"Sup Dude? Hi Melani" he replied

"Hi Tanner" Melani responded aggravated

"Wow, someone's happy tonight" he responded "So James, whatcha been up to?"

"Nothing really, what about you?"

"Just getting what I can if you know what I mean" they both laughed

Melani sighed disgusted and rolled her eyes

"She seems like a joy to be with" Tanner responded then in an obnoxious tone said to her "It's ok Mel, someday soon I'll let you spend a night with me, if that's alright with him"

"She's all yours" James said laughing. She shot him a glare and pushed his arm off of her

"Dude don't let her push you around like that" Tanner said "Unless she's totally got you warped"

James glared at her "She wishes she did" he said as he tried to put his arm back around her, but she moved out of the way "Stop being a bitch Mel" he said "Or I will let him have you, and I'll just stand aside"

"Remember that whole conversation we had about me not being an object?" she said angrily "This definitely goes against it"

"Too bad, you're _my _girlfriend, you do what _I_ want to do. That's how it's always worked and that's how it's going to be, Tanner's girls do it and so will you"

"Keep on dreaming" she said smartly. As soon as the words came out of her mouth she knew she would regret them. A second later she felt his hand hit her and blood trickle down from a fresh cut on her forehead. She put her hand up to the place where the blood was coming from and wiped it away

"Don't talk to me like that Melani" he said angrily "We're going, we'll see you later Tanner" He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the promenade.

Just in of sight was Nikki Westerly and her new boyfriend Cameron. "Cam, that's Bradin's friend Melani. We have to tell him" she grabbed his hand and ran toward her house.

* * *

"BRADIN!" Nikki screamed as she ran into the house "BRADIN COME QUICK"

Bradin ran down the stairs at the shout of his little sister "Oh man Nikki, what's wrong?" he said, out of breath from running so fast

"We saw Mel out at the promenade" she said

"She was probably with her boyfriend, big deal" he said, quite frustrated

"He hit her Bradin, I saw it with my own two eyes! She said something to the guy she was with and he hit her! She was bleeding and everything! Then he grabbed her and dragged her away with him!"

"Nikki, just forget about it. She doesn't want anyone to know about it, you two just need to pretend like it didn't happen" he looked at the two

"I'm not going to forget it happened!" she yelled "She's getting hurt. You act like you care about her, if you really did, you wouldn't be doing this!"

Bradin sighed, he knew how subborn Nikki was, and he knew she wouldn't listen to anyone but Melani "Fine, I'll call her and let her tell you"

He pulled out his cell phone _Hello? **Hey Mel, it's Bradin, whatcha up to? **Nothing really I just got home, what about you?_** _Nothing. Listen, Nikki needs a girls perspective on a situation, I was wondering if you could help her? _**_Sure Brae, I'll be there in like 10 minutes ok? **Sounds great! Thanks Mel, see ya lata **Bye Brae, see ya in 10 _click.

"She'll be here in 10 minutes, now follow my lead you two, don't say anything until I signal you to."

* * *

Melani knocked on the glass of the back door to the beach house. Bradin motioned for her to come in "Hi guys" she said smiling

"Ouch, Mel what happened to your head?" he said, seeing the cut

"I scratched myself, it's the hazard of having long nails" she laughed

"No you didn't" Nikki blurted out, she quickly placed her hands over her mouth as Bradin glared at her

"What Nikki?" she said confusedly

"Nikki and Cam saw you at the promenade tonight" Bradin responded

She kept her gaze at Nikki and Cameron "You saw me with James and Tanner?" she said

"You were around Tanner? This is so typical of him" Bradin said angrily

"Tanner and James are best friends, of course I'm around him, but he didn't hit me, James did" she clarified "How do you know Tanner"

"He made my summer miserable, enough said" he replied

"I know that feeling." she sighed"Nikki, I need you to listen to me ok?" she walked over to her and sat down next to her on the couch and took Nikki's hands in hers "You need to forget about what you saw ok? It's just something I need to deal with"

"Mel, you can't let him hurt you, what if…" she started

"I know _all_ those what ifs Nikki" she interrupted "I've dreamed about all of them. You know when you're doing something bad, but you have to keep doing it, its like that. I know what I'm doing is getting me hurt, but I need to do it so other people don't get hurt. Trust me ok?"

"I just don't want anything to happen to you Mel, you're the one person I can go to here"

"I promise, if things get really bad I'll stop, but for now, promise me you'll forget about it. I promise I'll try to get out of it as soon as I can if you promise this for me"

Nikki thought about it for a minute, switching between looking at the hands in hers and the cut on her friend's face. "I promise" she said "But remember, you promised too"

"I'll remember Nik" she hugged her friend as she got up "I should go, I'll talk to you all later" Nikki and Cameron nodded as they made their way to Nikki's room to get some DVD's. "Hey Brae, remember when I said I wanted to finish what we started last night" she whispered as she walked by him on her way out

"Yeah" he responded

"My mom's out for the night at a function for work and my dad's on a business trip to LA. Come over when everyone here goes to sleep any maybe we will" she winked at him as she walked out the door


	12. Finishing Up

A/N: Hi guys! Just a warning, this chapter is rated **M not T.** Enjoy!

* * *

"Good night" Bradin said to his aunt. He waited twenty minutes until he was sure she was asleep until he walked out his side door. He ran all the way to Melani's house. He knew she had the same room as he did, since their houses were identical. He knocked on the side door to her room. "Hey" he said as she opened the door. She didn't respond, she just placed her lips on his and led him in. The two walked all the way to her bed, their lips never parting.

She quickly pushed him on the bed, their lips breaking apart for the first time. He sat there bewildered at what she was doing. Before he got a chance to say anything, she sat on top of him and started kissing him again. Needing to feel her, he rolled over so she was underneath him. After a few minutes of making out, Mel rolled over and let go of Bradin so they were both lying next to each other "Bradin" she panted, in dire need for air

"Yeah Mel?" he responded in the same fashion

She sat up on one side and looked at him "Are you ready?" she said, "Because if you are, we're doing this my way. No flipping me over until it's your turn, deal?"

"Deal." he said

"Good. Because I don't think I would have taken 'no' for an answer" he laughed as she sat up on top of him. She slid her hand up his inner thigh, causing his pulse to quicken. She placed her lips on his softly, then more aggressively; slowly he felt her tongue graze his. At almost the same time, she began to touch his leg again. A longing to hold her surged through his body, before he knew what was happening he started kissing back and his hands started roaming all around her back under her shirt.

She broke away from his lips and looked at him "What happened to doing this my way" she asked sarcastically. She placed her hand on his cheek.

"I couldn't help it, I can't just lie here. I need you, I need to feel you" he said

Mel sighed and sat up "Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe we're going too fast" she turned her head away

"Mel, you can't do that to me!" he said sitting up "You can't build me up like that and then bail. I have needs too ya know"

Melani laughed "Oh Bradin" she said rolling her eyes. She looked at him and noticed his pants seemed really tight, "Looks like those are getting a bit tight" she signaled to his pants "Let me help you with them" she slid her hand to the rim of his pants then undid the button and zipper, but not going any farther "better?" she asked

"My turn" he responded by kissing her hard on the lips. He placed one hand on her cheek while he took the other down her stomach and undid her pants, but he didn't stop there, he slid them off her while still controlling her through the kiss

"No fair" she said, pulling away "I only undid yours" He laughed as he dived in for another kiss. Again the need for control filled him and he flipped her over so she was underneath him. He broke away, knowing she wasn't happy "What happened to waiting until it was your turn" she said

"It is my turn" he replied. He slid his hand up her shirt and pulled it off. He moved to kiss her neck and she made no move to stop him.

He kissed her for a while, but she soon took control, flipping him over so she was on top. "Now it's my turn" she whispered. She sat on top of him wearing nothing but a pink bra and pink underwear. She slid his pants off and threw them on the floor. She still sat on top of him and slowly began to kiss him again. She slid her hands up his shirt, but made no attempt to take it off.

Bradin couldn't take her teasing him anymore. He grabbed her hand and helped her glide his shirt off. Then he rolled her over so she againwas under him. "Mel, I want you so bad" he said, looking at her from above

"I want you too Brae, more than you'll ever know" she sat up and kissed him, warm air filled his mouth as he moved his hands to undo her bra. He pulled it off and tossed it on the floor with all the other clothes. He looked at the sight in front of him; he had never seen anything so beautiful. He kissed her neck then down her chest to her bellybutton. He stopped at the hem of her underwear, not sure whether or not to proceed.

Mel noticed his hesitance so she slid her hand down his back and hit the hem of his boxers. She played with the waistband, then pulled them down to his ankles. He took this as the green light and pulled hers down to her ankles "Ready?" he asked

"Umm" she responded.

He groaned "you enjoy making me miserable don't you?"

She smiled "Yep, always have and always will" she laughed as she pushed him off of her and sat on top of him "The real question is are you ready?" she said looking at him

"Yeah, you?" he responded, looking into her eyes

"Yeah" she said smiling

Melani gave him head and he returned the favor by doing the same. Then two made love.

As Melani laid next to Bradin after it was over, thoughts of them when they were little ran though her head "Bradin?" she whispered

"Yeah Angel" he whispered back

"Thank you" she said

He sat up and leaned on one side and looked at her "For what?"

"For making me feel like someone cares about me. This was the first time in a while I've felt cared for"

"I feel more than care for you Mel. I think I love you" he said

Melani studied his bright green eyes. They seemed so sincere, so caring, no, so loving "I love you too Brae." She paused taking in the whole situation "Will you hold me? I want to know you're here"

"Absolutely" he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight. The two fell asleep in each other's arms and dreamed about the night they had experienced.


	13. My Love, or your Crush

_Beep, Beep, Beep…_Melani groaned and hit the snooze button on her radio, but groggily realized something wasn't normal. She was really cold, that wasn't right… she smiled as she rolled over only to look into Bradin's bright green eyes.

"Sleep well Angel?" he asked, placing his hand on her face and stroking her cheek

"Yeah, you?" she said

"Yeah. What time is it? It's barely light out." he said

"5:20" she replied

"Why do you get up at 5:20, class doesn't start until 8:30" he asked laughing

"I surf every morning before I go to school, so I get up at 5:20, surf until like 7:15 then get ready and make it to school by 8:15. I've been doing it for years"

"I didn't know you surfed" he said, running his hands through her hair

"You never asked. If the reining Farm Boy can surf, so can I" she said "Now, you should probably get outta here before my mom shows up, or before your aunt wakes up and finds her darling nephew gone" she smiled

"Yeah, you're right…but I don't want to" he pulled her closer to him

Mel sighed "I don't want you to either" she leaned into him and closed her eyes, taking in the moment "But you have to, I don't want you to get into trouble because of me"

Bradin sighed "Yeah, my aunt will kill me" he sat up and stretched, showing his tanned abs and rib bones

Mel's heart raced as she watched him get up and get dressed "Want a ride to school?" she asked

"I'd love one" he said as he sat on her bed and looked deep into her eyes "Mel?" he asked

"Yeah babe?" she said

"I love you" he leaned in and kissed her softly

"I love you too" she said kissing him back. "Maybe one of these mornings I'll let you surf with me"

"I'd be honored" he said laughing "Bye Angel" he said

"Bye Babe" she said, climbing out of bed "I'll pick ya up at 8:10"

"Perfect" he responded, kissed her, then hurried out the door and back home. Luckily no one was up yet

* * *

Melani smiled all day during school and her good mood was apparent to anyone she came in contact with. Everyone noticed, especially James.

"What's got you so happy?" he said pulling her close to him in the hall

"Not you" she said smiling smartly, knowing he wouldn't hit her in front of so many people "And definitely not at the thought of my experience with you last night"

"Mel, that was an accident, I didn't mean to do it"

"Do what J?" she asked "Can you even say it?"

"Yes I can, but I'm not going to" he replied "You asked for it anyway" he added annoyed

"Sorry, I'll try to act like one of Tanner's brainless sluts next time" she said, pulling away from him

"I didn't ask you to do that, I just asked you to respect me" he responded

"No you didn't. You acted like I was a possession. We've talked about this over and over again, I'm not yours, I may be your _girlfriend_, but I'm not your property. The girls Tanner screws might be his, but I'm not yours, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you'll get what you want." She glared at him

"So that's why you've been acting so weird, you're punishing me for not treating you the way you want to be treated?" he asked

"Maybe, or maybe I have this secret thing for every time you hurt me, I add another week to my not sleeping with you plan" she said smiling

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her really close "Don't get to attached to that plan, homecoming's next weekend and I don't expect anything less than last year" She glared at him as a knot filled her stomach

"Mel!" Allie shouted and ran up to them "Oh, sorry I didn't mean to interrupt" she said winking

"No, it's cool, we're done, what's up?" Mel said, breaking away from James' hold

"I was wondering…" she trailed off

"What were you wondering?" Mel replied

"If Bradin was single, since you seem to know him best" she said, shyly

"Allie Keniston! Are you seriously crushing on Bradin?" she asked

"Yeah, and so is the rest of the grade. Look at him Mel, he's perfect, blonde hair, eyes to melt in, brooding surfer boy _and_ he's not from around here. He's perfection personified"

"He is" Mel said laughing. She heard James grunt from behind her "Oh, get over it, anyway Allie, he's very much single, but he comes with some baggage, so just be careful ok?"

"I totally will" she said smiling "I want to make a good impression at homecoming. Will you help me?"

"Totally, I want him to be happy, and I want you to be happy, it's only logical that you be happy together" she said

"Thanks Mel, you're my idol!" she hugged her "I gotta run to algebra, I'll talk to ya at practice ok?"

"Yeah, bye Allie" she turned to James "What was that comment for" she asked "Jealous of my friendship with Mr. Perfection Personified?"

"As long as he keeps his hands off you, none what so ever, he just better stay a friend"

"And what if he doesn't?" she said, smirking

"Then you'll both pay." He said matter-of-factly

"That's promising" she said quietly

"I'm kidding." He said "Come on baby, we both have astudy, let's spend it on the beach, we can actuallytalk, we haven't done that since I got back"

Melani sighed, she knew she shouldn't do it, but something inside her made her walk with him "Ok" she said. He smiled as he took her hand and led her down to the beach.


	14. Mixed Emotions

A/N: Sorry it took so long, i had to write one for more complications, and schools ending and finals are starting up. Once they're done it'll be more consistant. Thanks to all my reviewers! And Elizabeth, i'm into waiting until marrage too, you're not alone, thats a huge thing at my school, they just do it on the show so i copied them

* * *

"Ok guys, that's enough for today, we'll finish up the routine on Monday, have a good weekend" Mel said to the squad. A few 'laters' and 'see yas' followed. Melani sighed as she picked up her bag, totally exhausted

"Mel can we talk?" Allie said

She closed her eyes "Sure, I'm just exhausted" they both walked over to the bleachers and watched as the boys football team continued to practice

"So, how should I get Bradin to notice me, I mean I really really like him" Allie said

_Turn into me, then he'll be all over you _she thought "Umm, I don't know. I guess you need to act super sweet, and don't try too hard." She said, putting her now pounding head in her hands

"Well, you know people from Kansas, what was his ex like? So I can know what to do or not do. I assume he had an ex" she said

"Umm…yeah he did" she paused "Laura was smart, funny, athletic, cute and laughed a lot. He really cared about her, I think had he not moved they'd still be together."

Allie took this into great consideration "I could act like that, or I could just sleep with him, that gets all guys"

"He's not like that Al, he won't want to do that" she replied, lifting her head to look at her

"Is he a virgin or something, and don't play that. As good as you want to think he is; he'll sleep with me. You and I both know it"

Melani tried not to think of Bradin sleeping with Allie, even though they weren't dating, it was too painful "No I'm positive he's not a virgin, just go easy on him Al, ok? He's not used to the California lifestyle"

"I will, I promise, I'll be nice, I'll do him first" she said smiling

Melani rolled her eyes "Ok, too much information, that's my cue to leave. If you're here when James comes, tell him I don't feel good so I'm heading home. He can get me on my cell or my line if he needs me, k?"

"Totally will. I have pick out a dress for the dance, when are you goin?"

"Kelli, Lizzie, Lucas, Alex, Bradin and I are going tomorrow afternoon. Tell me what color your dress is and I'll get him something to match. Talk to ya lata" and with that she got up and started walking to her car.

* * *

Melani laid on her bed in the dark with soft music playing in the background. For some reason her head was pounding uncontrollably, but she needed the music to keep her sane. She heard someone open her door and come in. She knew it couldn't be Bradin because they came in her main door, not the side door he usually crept in through.

"Hey baby" James said sitting down next to her and kissing her forehead "You ok?"

"I just have a horrific headache and I don't know why." She replied closing her eyes and sighing. The song **I'm With You** played quietly in the background.

James looked at her and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'll let you sleep then, we can hang out tomorrow, ok?"

"You don't have to go, I'm ok. I know you wanted to hang out tonight."

"I'd rather you feel better, our talk really cleared up some stuff today, and I really shouldn't take you for granted, and I know I have been, for a long time"

Melani couldn't believe what she was hearing, he was being so sweet and nice, but part of her didn't believe that she had finally gotten through to him. She sighed. "No, here, I'll meet you half-way, you let me sleep for like an hour and then we'll go out ok?"

James smiled "How about I lie with you, then we'll see what happens" He gently stroked her soft brown hair.

The pain in her head had now spread to the tops of her eyes "Ok" she said, cuddling into him. "But I do want to do something, so don't let me sleep too late, ok?"

"Ok" he said and positioned himself so Mel's head was resting on his chest. He softly kissed her forehead "sweet dreams baby" he whispered as he watched her breathing slow down and steady out

* * *

Bradin walked down the beach, watching the sunset's reflection on the ocean. He loved the ocean, but the yellow/orange reminded him of back home. He must have been spacing out because he walked straight into Allie, who was walking the other way.

"Sorry Allie" he said "I wasn't really paying attention"

"It's ok" she said smirking "You can walk into me anytime"

Bradin laughed. He was used to girls from Kansas throwing themselves at him, after all he was the most popular boy there, but the Cali girls were different, and this one seemed to only want him "Smooth Allie"

She walked over to him "You know you like it Westerly" she said running her finger around the waistband of his shorts, looking at him innocently

"Allie, you're not as innocent as you want me to think, are you?" he said, matching her tone

Allie smiled "I can be whatever you want me to be" she said smiling

Bradin laughed "Nice Allie"

She smiled, still running her finger against him "What, I'm serious, I can do anything you want. It's one of my talents"

"Really?" Bradin said flirting back "And what is your best talent"

"I think it's too…um, risqué for your innocent ears" she said smiling "you're not used to the California lifestyle"

Bradin laughed "Well, how else am I supposed to learn if people don't tell me?"

Allie smirked "I could tell you, or I could show you"

"What happened to me being too innocent?" he said smiling

"Oh, right, well, I'll tell you then I'll show you, deal?" she said looking at him seductively

"Sounds good" he replied, not really sure what he was getting himself into.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the beach, a smile growing across her face.


	15. The Morning After

Melani awoke to the bright sunlight hitting her face. She sat up and noticed James fast asleep next to her. She sighed. _He's so hard to figure out_ she thought _he can be a total ass like he was with Tanner, and he can be such a sweetie, like he was last night. It must be me, not him_… Her thoughts were interrupted by a strong arm grabbing her shoulder. "You didn't wake me up" she said smiling

James leaned up and kissed her "You looked so peaceful; I didn't want to disturb you"

Mel smiled "I should yell at you more often if this is what you're going to act like after"

"Don't even" he said, laughing.

She grabbed a pillow and playfully hit him with it. The two got into a full out war, ending with Mel pinned on the bed. "Say I won and I'll let you up" he said, hovering over her

"Never!" she saiddefensively, trying to push him off.

James tightened his grip "Say it!" he said "Then I'll let you up"

"No!" she said. He began to tickle her, causing her to laugh hysterically. "Ok, ok" she said between laughs "You win, you win, just stop" she laughed

James smiled as he stopped "I missed this, we used to have fun"

"I missed it too" she said, pulling herself so she was sitting up next to him

He leaned over and kissed her passionately. As the kiss got deeper, he pushed her down onto the bed, him now on top of her.

Mel broke away "How did I know I would end up here" she said, sighing

James looked at the upset look in her eyes "Sorry Baby, it's just… I don't know" he rolled off of her so he was lying next to her

"I feel like that's all you care about J, when you can get some" she said "I don't want to be just the one to give it to you"

James looked at her in the eyes "I would never use you" he said "I love you Mel, and I know you don't say that, but I need you to know _I do_"

"I know you do, but I feel like I'm just another number…oh, I don't know" she sighed

He kept his gaze on her "You're not another number to me, you're _the_ _one_. I only want to be with you. Why do you think I keep pushing it? I want to be with you, and only you. If I didn't I wouldn't be here right now, I'd be somewhere with some random person with one hell of a hangover."

Melani sighed "I know, and I know you care about me, I just need to know that you care about more than my body, that you care about _me_"

"I do" he said "It's hard, but I could live without sleeping with you as long as you're with me"

Mel smiled "Ok." _I'm pretty sure he's just telling me what I want to hear, but I might as well go with it and keep him happy._ "Then let's do it"

James smiled "I promise, it'll be like heaven." He said as he leaned over and started kissing her, sliding his hand up her back.

* * *

Bradin awoke to the sound of the ocean and sand underneath him "Sleep well?" he heard someone ask. He turned and looked at Allie, she was smiling

"uh, yeah" he said "How much did I drink last night?" he said, starting to feel a hangover coming

"We went through a six-pack of Smirnoff Ice, I think we split it evenly, honestly I don't really remember" she replied

Bradin laughed "My aunt is going to kill me for not coming home last night, add being hungover to it and I'm not going to see daylight for weeks"

"Was it worth it?" she said smirking

Bradin paused "Which part?" he said smiling

"Well I do give the best blowjobs in PL High, so that I think" she said

"Well that was one of the best I've ever had" he said "But the skinny dipping was the most fun"

Allie laughed "see what happens when you're with me, can you imagine what I'll do to you at homecoming?"

"I don't even want to know" he said. A sudden dizzy spell hit him and he leaned against one of the rocks of the cave "Wow, that stuff is strong" he said

"It's one of my personal favorites" she said smiling "Come one Kansas, I should get you home, if we make it before your aunt wakes up I'll still have a date to the dance"

Bradin smiled _Allie is really cool_ he thought _Really, really,horny, but really cool. I'd like to get to know her. Mental note: Call Mel when I get sober enough to see the numbers on my cell phone_. "I don't think you need to get me home, what kind of guy would I be if I didn't make sure you go home safe and sound?"

Allie smiled "I really could get used to this southern hospitality" she said. The two walked out of the cave. Bradin walked her up to her door. "Bye Bradin" she said before going in. "Oh, FYI, it's 6:30"

_6:30, no one should be up, I should be able to make it home_ he thought. He ran all the way home and walked into his room. There was a note sitting on his bed

_**Bradin: We've gone out for the night. Nikki is at Amber's, Derrick is at Martha's and God knows where Jay and Susanna are. Be good, and don't do anything you wouldn't do with us around. Love, Ava and Johnny**_

Bradin walked to his bed and undid the covers. He wrote a note and left it on his nightstand before falling back to sleep. The note read, CALL MEL AND MAKE SURE SHE'S ALRIGHT, BUT DON'T MENTION ALLIE!

* * *

A/N: Hey guys thanks for reading. I was thinking of writing a different story, but under the M rating. Since a lot of ppl dont look at them i was wondering if you would read it if I write one? Tell me in a review and i can email u the concept for it! (And FYI i'll stillupdate this one everyother day) Steph :) 


	16. My Escape

Melani sat on the beach later that afternoon. She really had no idea what she was doing with her life, nothing seemed to add up; everything seemed so jumbled up and out of control. Her cell phone went off and she looked at the caller ID. "Hey Brae" she said as she flipped it open

"Hey Mel, how are ya?" he replied

"I'm alright, what were you up to last night"

Bradin paused "Umm, just another crazy night at the beach, what about you?"

"Spent the night in" she said "So, are you ready to get your suit for homecoming? I told the others we'd meet at 4:30 at the mall"

"Yeah, I just have to tell my aunt. How about I meet you at your house at like 4?"

"Sounds good"

"Ok, see ya then Angel"

"Bye baby" she hung up the phone and stared out at the ocean. _What am I going to do?_ She thought, _If James really has changed, I owe it to him to give him a true second chance, but that would mean letting Bradin go, and I can't do that... I love him. God, why cant life be simple_? She stood up and walked to the water's edge. She closed her eyes as she let the cool waves hit her feet. The cool ocean breeze hit her hair, but she felt something warm against her neck. "I couldn't wait until 4" she heard a voice say

She smiled as she turned around to see Bradin's bright green eyes. He could tell that something was wrong "What's wrong Angel?"

"I don't know, nothing in life seems to make any sense, have you noticed that?"

"You're telling me? Look who you're talking to" he said

"Right, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I just don't understand God sometimes"

"Me either, but I truly believe that He only gives us tough situations when He knows we can get over them and be better people because of them" he pulled her into a hug.

She placed her head against his chest "Come on" she said grabbing his hand "we're in a very public place and we could get caught" She pulled him down the beach toward a deserted area. She pulled him off the beach into a wooded area.

"Mel, where the hell are we going?" he said, trying to keep up

"You'll see" she said, as she ducked under a branch. They walked together for about 5 minutes until they reached a really dense area "It's just through here" she said and led him through a little hole in the branches. The two walked into a clearing with a stream running off a ledge into a small pond, the ocean was glistening in the background "welcome to my escape" she said

Bradin's eyes widened. "It's amazing" he said "How did you find this place?"

"I was walking on the beach one day and I was hot, so I went into the brush and I noticed the little path. It led me to the thicket, and I heard water, so I made a hole and found this"

"It's like a little piece of heaven"

She walked to the edge of the stream and put her feet in as she sat down "You're the only one I've ever showed this to, it's my place I go when life gets too crazy."

"I feel honored you felt you could take me" he walked over to her and sat down next to her

"I wanted to" she leaned her head against his shoulder

Bradin sighed "Does anyone else come up here, or know this place exists?"

"I've been coming up here since I was 10, and I've never seen another soul. Why?" she said, looking him in the eyes

"Because" he said, and leaned in and kissed her. His tongue slid against hers as she felt him push her down onto the soft grass. He continued kissing her as he got fully on top of her, not hesitating as he slid his hand up her shirt

_I already had sex once today, is it safe to have it again?_ the thought ran through her head for a split second, but soon was washed away by the running of the stream and the love she felt for Bradin.

* * *

Melani lay her head on Bradin's chest "Normally I would be petrified that I just had sex in the middle of an open area or that I'm lying in the grass with nothing on, but I'm not. Something is seriously wrong with me"

"There's nothing wrong with you" Bradin said, running his hands through her hair "You're perfect"

She smiled "I don't want to move, but we did promise we'd meet everyone at 4:30 and it's 4:00 and I still have to change"

Bradin held her tighter "They can wait, I like it here"

Melani smiled "No, we should go, but if you're good I'll take you back up here tonight after we're done. The moonlight shining off the ocean is a sight to die for"

"It might be, but its got nothing on you" he leaned in and kissed her.

"Come on Farm Boy, I want you to be the first person to see me in my dress"

"As you wish" he said, gathering up his clothes

"I love that movie" she said as she started to put her clothes back on

"What movie?" he said confused

"That's from The Princess Bride, you've never seen it" He nodded 'no' "Oh well that simply won't do, I think tonight will be a busy night" She stood up and grabbed his hand "Come on baby, time stops for no one!" she pulled him up and the two ran through the brush toward her house.


	17. Shopping

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! Finals are finishing up on Tues, then I have school on Wed, then I'm on vaca, so you can count on updates almost every day, depending upon when I have to work :(

* * *

"Let me see it" Kelli said to Lucas through the dressing room. She, Lucas, Lizzie, Alex, Bradin and Melani were all trying on clothes for homecoming

"I look stupid Kel" he responded "I look like a penguin"

All the girls laughed "You too Brae" Mel yelled "We wanna see um"

"No" he said resoundingly

"Alex" Lizzie said

"No, I agree with them. It fits, let's just get them and go"

"NOW!" the three girls yelled.

The attendant looked in "Sorry Ellie" Mel said

"Don't worry about it. If they're not out in 10 seconds I'll unlock their doors for you"

The girls heard a gasp from the behind the doors "10-9-8-7-6" they counted. Almost all at the same time, the boys emerged from their rooms

"Oh my goodness, you look amazing!" Kelli swooned over Lucas "You look nothing like a penguin" she ran over to him and he picked her up and spun her around before kissing her

"I take it you finally asked her to be your girlfriend" Mel said smiling

"Yeah, last night" Lucas said

"About time" Mel said smiling. Meanwhile, Lizzie and Alex were making out in the changing room he had come out of "So much for them" she said motioning to the door "You look great Brae" she said smiling

"Thanks" he said "The last time I wore a suit was when I left Kansas"

"Well, we need to find you a lightyellow tie" Mel said, changing the subject

"Why?" he asked confused

"Because Allie sent me a picture of her dress and it's light yellow, so you have to match" Mel said. Kelli nodded, rolling her eyes

"Ok. We should change, then it's your turn" both girls smiled, they liked trying on clothes much more than the boys did. Bradin knocked on Alex's door, "Come on, it's their turn" Lizzie walked out, obviously upset about being interrupted.

A few minutes later the boys had gotten changed and the six were making their way to Cache so the girls could buy their dresses. About two minutes after they walked into the store, the boys realized that the girls liked doing this stuff much more than they did, and they were going to be there for a while. After almost an hour of picking out what seemed like a million dresses, the girls finally made their way to the dressing rooms.

"Tell me what you think honestly Luke" Kelli said as she came out. She was in a gorgeous crimson red spaghetti strapped dress with rhinestones.

Lucas' mouth dropped. "You look amazing" he managed to sputter out.

Kelli smiled "Thanks babe" she said "I want to see Mel's and Lizzie's though, they're soo pretty!"

"Ready Alex?" Lizzie called. She walked out in a long black dress with beaded flowers accenting it. She looked like something out of a medieval court.

"I love it" he said smiling. He walked over to her and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "Two down one to go, where's Mel, Liz?" he asked

"Come on out Mel" Kelli called

"I don't think I like it Kel" she responded

"Melani Michelle Lawrence, get your ass out here right now before I slap you" she called back

"Fine, God, no need to be violent" she said as she opened the door. She was wearing a bright blue long strapless dress with blue glass beads

Bradin's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Holy crap Mel, if that looks bad, I'd love to see what looks good"

Melani smiled "Y'all really like it?" she asked

"Let's just say if there were any doubts that you are going to win queen, once people see you in that dress, there will be none" Lizzie said "You look like Cinderella"

Melani laughed "Not exactly the road I was going down, but I suppose it'll do" she smiled then whispered to Bradin "Do you really like it?"

He smiled "I've never seen anything so pretty in my life" he whispered back

She smiled. "Come on, we can pay then get accessories!" she said

"NO!" the boys yelled in unison.

All the girls laughed "Ok, we can save that for another day" Kelli said laughing "Just don't expect us to be around tomorrow"

Lucas rolled his eyes "Fine, as long as I don't have to go, you can take as much time as you want" all the guys nodded in agreement

"Well, lets grab something to eat before we leave the mall, ok, I'm starving" Lizzie chirped in.

Everyone nodded as they walked toward the food court. _If only I had one wish, I'd want a million trillion lifetimes that I could spend with you, falling in love with you again and again_ Mel's cell phone rang

"What song is that?" Lucas asked

"It's Looking Back On Today by The Ataris" she responded as she opened her phone

"Hello?...Ok…God chill out, I'll be there in a little while…why does that matter?... Fine, I'm on my way…no, I'm leaving now, I'll be there in like 10 minutes…good bye J…I'm walking out as we speak, bye" she rolled her eyes as closed her phone "Can I take a rain check? Apparently I'm supposed to be at Jessie's house and they can't start whatever it was they want to do with out me"

"Sure, I'll call ya tonight" Kelli said

"I'll see ya later." She walked over to Bradin "I'll call you" she whispered. She smiled as she walked toward the parking garage.


	18. Fighting

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, especially **Dramagrl, Caitlin, Elizabeth, Jessesfan0409 **and** JmacKarla** for reviewing like every chapter! Schools out and i don't have to work for a while, so i can try to update everyday if i can think of ideas! if ya have any, post um in your reviews!

* * *

"Mel! Mel!" Allie yelled. Melani turned around to see her friend sprinting towards her "Guess what I did" she said smiling

Mel sighed "What did you do Allie?" Melani said smiling "Oh and before I forget, I made sure Bradin got a tie that matched your dress"

"He's what I wanted to talk to you about" she said smiling "I walked into him on the beach Friday night…"

"Walked into him?" she said looking at her unbelievingly

"Honest, I was thinking about something and walked straight into him. Anyway, we started talking and…" she trailed off

"Oh no, not and…" she mocked "Allie what did you do to him?"

"What makes you think I _did_ something" she said innocently

"Because I've known you since 6th grade. Tell me Al, what did you do? Since that's obviously what you came here to tell me"

"We went to third. And you said he wasn't like that. Trust me, he's like that" a smirk spread across her face

"Wow. I guess I don't know him as well as I thought. I'm happy for you Allie, are you officially dating now, I mean since you pretty much screwed him"

Allie cast her glance down "No" she said quietly

"Al, tell him you like him and save your heart the ache. I'm sure if he's willing to go to third with you, he likes you."

"I will, thanks Mel. I totally owe you." She gave her a quick hug and ran down the hall toward her class

Melani continued down the hall to where Bradin and Kelli were standing talking "Hey Mel" Kelli said

"Hey Kel" she replied "Brae, can I talk to you for a minute?" she said.

Bradin could tell there was something wrong "Sure" he said, the two walked to the parking lot, where no one was

"When were you planning on telling me?" she said angrily

"Tell you what?" he said confused

"I believe you said that you had 'just another crazy night on the beach' on Friday, care to elaborate?" she said sternly

"She told you didn't she" Bradin said, noticing the anger in her eyes

"She tells me everything, but that's not the question at hand. The question is why didn't _you_ tell me?" she said, quite irritated

"Because I didn't think it was something I needed to share with you" he said, getting frustrated himself "Beside, you slept with James, so don't act like you're the victim here"

"Yeah, he's my _boyfriend_; I'm supposed to do that. Unlike you, who just goes and hooks up someone purely out of convenience. At least I have a reason to" The anger was bottling up inside of her now but Bradin couldn't tell

"So I have to tell you everything, but you can tell me only what you want to. That's bull Mel and you know it"

"Well, you don't have to worry about telling me anything anymore. Go find Allie, I'm so done with you" she said angrily, and stormed off. Bradin took a moment to process what happened, then walked back into the hallway. The first sight he saw let him know that Mel was seriously pissed at him. She was literally hanging off James' neck with her tongue halfway down his throat, or so it seemed. Bradin rolled his eyes and walked away.

Kelli noticed and ran after him "What happened? You go into a fight didn't you, that's soo cute!" she swooned

"It's nice to see that you find two people being unhappy cute Kel" he said, looking at Mel "Not that she looks unhappy"

"Sorry Brae, she's pissed, why else would she be doing that?" she motioned to her direction "She's doing it because she knows it'll bug you. Just let her do it, then apologize"

"I'm not going to." He said defiantly "Two can play this game" he said smiling, and walked toward the quad

* * *

Melani walked into the quad for lunch, her arm around James' waist _Take that Bradin, this should teach you to treat me like I don't matter_ she thought. She looked around the lunch area and spotted him, but not the way she wanted to see him. Allie was sitting on his lap, feeding him.

"Wow, she really is a slut isn't she" James said, pointing to them

"It takes two" she replied smiling smartly

"What did the two friends get into a fight?" James said mockingly

"Shut it ok." She replied "Do you want to go do something on the beach; I don't feel like eating right now"

James smiled, "Whatever you want baby" he replied, and led her to the stairs to the beach, but before they got there, she turned around and passionately kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Caught up in the moment, he swept her off her feet and carried her down the stairs

* * *

Bradin turned just in time to see them. _Damn,_ he thought _me being with Allie doesn't even phase her. How can she have this hold over me, but I have no control over her. I should just apologize._ A million other thoughts ran through his head as Kelli came and sat down next to him. He could tell Kelli really wanted to talk to him "Do me a favor babe" he said to Allie "Grab me a Gatorade for practice" he pulled out a dollar and handed it to her

"Anything" she said, and skipped off to the caf.

"Wow, your plan seems to be working" Kelli said mockingly

"Fuck off Kelli" he said angrily, still looking at the stairs to the beach

"Wow, I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that to me, because if I don't I might have to slap you. Anyway, it does bug her to see you with Allie, I just thought you should know. Hence the fact she's hanging off of James, she needs to do something to keep her mind off you. Gotta run, just think about that, k?" she got up and promptly left, leaving Bradin in a state of confusion.


	19. Water Fight

Melani sat in front of her house staring at the reflection of the sunset on the ocean. A few surfers were still out there, though there was only a few minutes left of light left. Lost in her thoughts, she sighed, not noticing Bradin come out of the water with his board. Bradin paused, considering whether or not to talk to her. He decided against it and started walking toward his house

"What, you can't even say hello?" he heard. He dropped his board and walked over to her. She hadn't moved a muscle, her gaze still on the ocean

"I didn't know you wanted me to" he replied "We were fighting last time I checked"

"We are fighting, it doesn't give you an excuse to be rude" she said bluntly

"Look who's talking. I don't know why I even came over here" He turned around and started walking away

"At least I don't make a scene" Mel said as she got up

"Excuse me?" he said, facing her "Don't talk to me about making a scene. You were practically having sex with James in the middle of the quad today. You're such a hypocrite"

"At least I don't go for Brainless Blonde bimbos…oh wait, I went for you, I lied" she said smartly

"At least I don't go for preppy, stuck up jocks…oh wait, I went for you, I lied too" he replied

Melani looked at him "You did not just call me stuck up"

"I did because you are. You think you're better than everyone, reality check Mel, you're not" he replied defiantly

Melani froze, not sure of how to respond to that "Wow" was all she could say

"No one has ever said that to you have they" he said noticing her reaction

Melani bit her bottom lip "No, not that I'd ever let anyone talk to me that way" she said "And I'm sure as hell not going to let you of all people"

"What are you going to do about it, sick your boyfriend on me"

"No" she said simply "I'll do this" she pushed him so he fell at the water's edge

"Oh you're going to pay for that one Mel" he said as he got up

"Oh really?" she said, "Try me" she yelled as she ran downt he beach. He started to sprint after her as she ran. She was just out of his reach until she tripped. He grabbed her and picked her up off of the sand "Bradin Westerly Put Me Down!" she yelled

Bradin walked over to the water "Fine" he said and threw her into the water

"Bradin!" she screeched just as she hit the water. She got up and ran after him before he had a chance to run and jumped on him so he fell into the water too. The two were now completely soaked and started splashing in the water. "So much for fighting" she said as they got out of the water.

"You couldn't stay mad at me if you tried, as we just proved" he said grabbing her hand and squeezing it tight

"Is it my fault you know how to get to me? I love you Bradin, how can I stay mad at the man I love?" she said smiling

"You're soaked, lets run to my house and get you something dry, then you can have dinner with us, my aunt loves company"

"Are you sure, I don't want to impose" she said as they walked back toward his house

"Positive" they walked into the back door, unaware that they were still holding hands "Aunt Ava is it ok that I brought a friend to eat dinner with us?"

"Sure honey" she called from the kitchen "Hello Melani"

"Hi Ms. Gregory" she said smiling. She noticed that she still had Bradin's hand and quickly let go

"Please, call me Ava" she said "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes"

"Thanks aunt Ava. Mel and I are going to go get something dry from my room, ok?"

"Honey, she can't wear your clothes, Melani, come with me, I have something from my new line that will fit you perfectly"

Melani smiled "Its ok Ms. Gregory, I don't want to ruin your clothes"

"Its no trouble at all, they're only a jean skirt and a shirt, Bradin can grab you a sweatshirt, and I said call me Ava"

"Thank you Ms...Ava" she said.

Bradin ran up to his room and quickly changed and grabbed Mel a sweatshirt. When he came out she was helping Ava set the table "I like the outfit aunt Ava" he said handing the sweatshirt to Mel

"Thanks sweetie" Ava replied. "Can you get everyone for dinner?"

"Sure" Bradin called everyone and the group enjoyed an amazing dinner.

A little after 10, Melani decided to head home "thanks soo much for everything Ava. Dinner was amazing. I'll bring back the outfit after I wash it"

"No problem Melani, whenever, come back anytime" She said smiling

"I'm going to go walk Mel home, ok aunt Ava" Bradin said

"Ok. Have a good night Melani" she replied

"You too Ava." Bradin and she walked in silence back to her house. "Thanks so much Brae, we should fight more oftern"

"No we shouldn't" he said as he wrapped his arms around her "I miss you too much" He leaned down and kissed her passionately on the lips. "I love you Angel" he said when they parted

"I love you too babe" she quickly kissed him again "See ya tomorrow"

"Later" he said as he watched her walk into her house. Just as he walked out of sight someone came out of the shadows, someone who had seen everything.

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A/N: Ok, you guys know the drill by now. Please review! And also for those who said they would read a story that I wrote in the M rating, I made one and its up, please check it out and tell me what you think! 3 Steph 


	20. Who Saw?

Bradin walked to practice early the next morning. _Coach P must be crazy; these 6am practices are going to kill me_ he thought. Lucas was sitting on the sand waxing his board "Hey dude" Bradin called. Lucas looked at him and nodded. Bradin walked over to him and noticed he wasn't happy about something "Dude, what's going on?" he asked

Lucas looked at him and said nothing. After a while he could tell Bradin wasn't going anywhere, so he had to just flat out tell him. "Come over here" he said and got up and walked over to a ledge of rocks. When he was sure that no one could see or hear them, he said "I saw you last night"

"What are you talking about?" Bradin asked, totally oblivious to what he was talking about

"I saw you and Mel outside her house. I saw everything." He said firmly, _he can't try to talk his way out of this one, I saw him with my own 2 eyes. _

Bradin looked down at the ground "How much did you see, seriously?"

"Everything. I saw you two come out of your house, walk down to hers, I saw you kiss her and her kiss you back, but most importantly, I heard you tell her you love her, and I heard her tell you she loves you. Dude, I've known Melani since she moved here, she's always been the girl next door, and she _NEVER_ says I love you. Ever! But what the hell are you doing? She's with James"

"I can't tell you Luke, I promised, if she wants you to know, you can ask her, you just need to promise not to tell anyone"

"I promise, but you two need to be more careful. What if Tanner saw you and not me? He would tell James. We do live right next door, he could see you anytime. Just don't let her get hurt Brae, I'll kill you if you do." And with that Lucas walked back over to the team.

Bradin sighed and joined him _today is going to fucking awesome, I can just tell_ he thought.

* * *

Melani walked around in a daze once again. "Homecoming's tomorrow night" she said almost every other second

Lucas decided that it would be good to talk to her about the Bradin situation, but no matter how he tried, she was always surrounded by either James himself or one of his loyal followers. The perfect opportunity came at lunch, when she was sitting with Kelli, picking at her food. "Hey baby" he said kissing Kelli on the cheek. She giggled "Would you mind if I talk to Mel alone?"

Kelli looked at him wearily, "ok?" she said questionably as she walked away, looking over her shoulder every few steps

"Ok, so I talked to Bradin this morning, and he told me to talk to you if I wanted the full story" Melani looked at him like he had a million heads "I saw you and Bradin kiss last night, I was coming home from my date with Kelli and I forgot my key and obviously no one was home, so I went to ask if I could chill with you and I saw you. Needless to say I didn't bother asking"

Melani stared at him, not sure of what to say "I don't know what to tell you Luke. Apparently you saw it, so I cant tell you it isn't happening, because it is. So what do you want me to clear up?"

Lucas looked at her. He didn't expect her to be so willing to talk about it. "Well, why you're doing it would probably be a good place to start" he said. Melani stood up "Where the hell are you going?" he whined

"Away from all these people. You may know, but I don't want the entire school to know" she walked down the hall to the student tutoring center. She waved to a few of the tutors and walked over to an empty room with a desk that said supervisor on it "I run the tutoring for the Juniors, this is my 'office'. Nice isn't it?" she rolled her eyes "So do you want the full-out five hour long version or the reader's digest version"

"Um, I have class in like 10 minutes, which one can fit in that time slot?"

"The reader's digest one. Long story really really short, James hits me, I found Bradin after hating him when I lived with him in Kansas, fell in love with him and decided I needed to be with him. I knew that if I left James for him, James would make his life a living hell, and he'd probably kill me or send your brother to do it, so I stayed with James and Bradin and I are together whenever we can be"

Lucas looked at her "Wow, he really hits you?"

Melani pulled up the sleeve of her shirt and he saw a fading bruise "Remember when I had to leave the mall on Saturday, that's because I was late" she rolled down her shirt "You have to promise you won't tell Luke, tell anything. Besides Kelli, you're my best friend, please promise me?"

Lucas looked at the ground "I promise I won't tell James that you're cheating on him and I won't tell anyone that he hits you, but I want you to be careful, ok? It easily could have been Tanner that saw you and not me, and he'd tell James in a second. Just promise me you'll tell me if he hits you again. I want to know"

"I can't put this burden on you Luke, it's already on me and Bradin and his sister and her boyfriend and Tanner, I can't stand…"

"Wait!" he interrupted "Tanner knows he hits you?"

"He's usually with me when it happens. He's known for years"

"Wait, this has been happening for years and you never told anyone? Mel how could you carry this all by yourself? Does Kel know?"

"I told her at the beginning of this year. It started freshmen year." She looked down at the floor, half embarrassed half afraid to look at him

Lucas walked over and hugged her "Mel, you should have told me. Bradin and I will protect you. I promise" she smiled weakly "We should go, we're going to be late for Algebra" Mel nodded and the two left the room and walked out into the hall. Kelli and Bradin were there waiting

"So, what was going on that you needed to not only leave the quad, but go into hiding as well?"

"I told him Kel" Mel said "He saw us"

Kelli walked over to Lucas and hugged him "I wanted to tell you but I couldn't. Now we really are an unbeatable foursome. He'll push us the wrong way someday and he'll be in big trouble"

"Who?" James asked as he walked over to the group "Hey baby" he said kissing the top of her head

Lucas had to hold Kelli tighter to resist hitting James right then and there "The boy who I had the incident with freshmen year. It's nothing big. What's up?" they could all tell she knew he didn't believe her

"I just thought I'd walk you to class, is that ok?" He looked at all the members of the group, daring them to stop him from controlling her

"Sounds good" she said, forcing a smile. The two walked down the hall, the three gazes of Mel's friends glued to their backs.

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**A/N: THanks for all the really awesome reviews and for all the people who went and read If Only! Your reviews seriously make my day! The next chapters' going to be really intense, just a warning. It's going to be Homecoming! Don't 4get to review! 143 Steph**


	21. Homecoming

A/N: Ok, so I just have to put this so I don't get in trouble. I don't own the song that I'm using in this chapter. Just a warning, like I said on the other one, the 2nd half of this one will get intense.

* * *

Melani looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was done up perfectly, parted to the left and done in a full tight bun, with two strands down and curled tucked behind her ears on either side. She had gotten her makeup done at MAC to be perfectly in sync with her outfit. Her dress sat perfectly on her, like it was made just for her. She spun around a few times. _This would be so perfect if I was with Bradin, I guess I just have to settle for almost perfect_ she thought as the doorbell rang. "It's open" she yelled down

James walked into the house and up the stairs to her room. His jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw her. "Wow" was all he could manage to say.

Melani caught his reaction in the mirror "You don't look too bad yourself" she said turning to face him, a smile on her face "I love dances. I feel like a princess"

"Princesses have nothing on you right now. You look like an angel" he said wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug

_Angel_ she thought _only Bradin calls me that_ she quickly snapped out of her trance, but James noticed she was spacing again "Thinking about tonight?" he asked

"Of course." She said "What else would I be thinking about? Well besides you of course"

He laughed and pulled her in for a kiss "Are your parents around today? They're usually around for dances"

"Nope, they're in Santa Barbara for a business conference. I'm all alone once again" she laughed and rolled her eyes "but what else is new? I'm always alone"

James looked at her in the eyes "You won't fall asleep alone tonight" he said before kissing her again. Her stomach did a flip-flop as she thought of the expectation of the after-dance party

* * *

"Aunt Ava if you take any more pictures I swear I'm going to throw the camera out into the ocean when I go surfing tomorrow" Bradin said, causing Allie to laugh

"Ok, you two be safe" she said hugging her nephew "I want a call after the dance before you get to Lucas' house, understand Bradin?"

"Yes aunt Ava, I promise. I'll see you tomorrow" he kissed her on the cheek and grabbed Allie's hand and the two walked to the limo sitting in front of the house.

* * *

"Oh my goodness, the gym looks amazing!" Melani screeched. "Oh James this is going to be so much fun!" she saw Kelli, Bradin, Lucas and Allie walk in together "I'm going to go see Kelli. I'll be right back, ok baby?"

James looked at them and back at her "Ok, but hurry. I don't want you gone too long" he kissed her and watched her walk over to the group. She could feel his eyes on her back

"Oh my goodness Kelli you look amazing!" she said, hugging her "You do too Al"

"Thanks, you look like…ok words don't express what you look like Mel. Queen here you come" Kelli said smiling

"Listen, I can't talk long, Mr. God of the Universe will kill me if I 'ditch' him. I'll see y'all at the party on the beach, right?" Everyone nodded "Cool. I'll see you later"

"Stay around us Mel" Bradin said "Trust me, I'll come in handy"

Melani looked at him "Ok?" she laughed and turned and walked back to James "Ready to dance?"

"No, but I'm ready to show you off" She laughed and the two walked into the middle of the floor and began to dance.

* * *

Over an hour later, the teacher coordinator came on over the microphone "**All right everyone, settle down" "I know everyone comes to homecoming with a date, but we thought this year we might mix stuff up a bit, so for the next dance, I want everyone to find someone else to dance with, as in, you can't dance with your date. The song will be _Truly Madly Deeply_ by Savage Garden if that helps you. Have fun! I'll be back later to announce the Kings and Queens"** And with that she got off the stage.

Kelli immediately ran over to Mel and James "James will you dance with me?" she asked, winking at Mel

"Sure Kel" He wrapped his arms around her and began to dance as the music started. **_I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy. I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, Be everything that you need._**

She turned around to see Lucas walking toward Bradin and Allie. _Why do I have the feeling they planned this?_ She thought. She walked over to where Bradin, Lucas and Allie were standing. She got there just in time to hear Lucas ask Allie to dance. "Well, why do I get the feeling I missed something?" she said to Bradin as Lucas swept Allie away. **_I love you more with every breath, Truly madly deeply do.._**

"I don't know. Maybe because you did" he said "Do you want to dance, because if you don't, I went through a lot of trouble for nothing." Melani smiled **_I will be strong I will be faithful 'Cuz I'm counting on a new beginning. A reason for living. A deeper meaning, yeah_**

"Well, I'd love to dance." He pulled her close and she rested her head against his head. He made sure they were out of James' sight. They swayed to the music **_I want to stand with you on a mountain. I want to bathe with you in the sea. I want to lay like this forever. Until the sky falls down on me..._**

"Bradin, this is so perfect. I love it. I feel like this song was made for us" she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear her. **_And when the stars are shining brightly, In the velvet sky, I'll make a wish, Send it to heaven, Then make you want to cry.. The tears of joy, For all the pleasure and the certainty. That we're surrounded, By the comfort and protection of.. The highest power. In lonely hours. The tears devour you.._**

"Well I was sitting on my bed a few nights ago, and I was thinking about this idea, and how I needed to talk Mrs. Mitchell into playing the perfect song, and this one came to mind. They played it at Sophomore Semi last year and I remembered it. It reminded me of us" **_I want to stand with you on a mountain. I want to bathe with you in the sea. I want to lay like this forever. Until the sky falls down on me..._**

The two swayed for a while without saying anything, just listening to the song…their song **_Oh can't you see it baby? You don't have to close your eyes, 'Cuz it's standing right before you. All that you need will surely come..._**

**_I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy. I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, Be everything that you need. I love you more with every breath, Truly madly deeply do… _**"Thank you Bradin" she whispered "this song is perfect. It's everything I feel for you and more. You really made this night magical" He hugged he tighter as they listened to the last chorus fade away, he whispered the words to her _"I want to stand with you on a mountain. I want to bathe with you in the sea. I want to lay like this forever. Until the sky falls down on me..."_

She hugged him when the song ended "I'll see you later babe" she said then slowly walked back to James, and back to the normal life she was expected to lead. The dance went on for another hour and a half without interruption, except for the usual, **don't do that, **or** stop throwing things **from the administration

At 10:45, Mrs. Mitchell came back on the stage. The group started to buzz; everyone knew what she was up there for. **"Ok everyone, calm down. I have the results for King and Queen as voted by the winners' respective classes. We'll start from the bottom and go up, ok"** a groan came from the upper classmen while the lower classmen cheered. **"Freshmen Queen is Miss Abby Lortine and Freshmen King is Mr. Ed Minelley." **The two walked up together as their class cheered **"Ok. Sophomores, you were much undecided. The queen winner only won by 10 votes. Your Sophomore Queen is Miss Lisa Carigan and your Sophomore King for the second year is Mr. Kevin Davies" **They also walked up to the stageand smiled as the crowns were placed on their heads. **"Ok, now Juniors are you ready? I think most of you know who your Queen is. Miss Melani Lawrence, for the third year in a row"** Mel smiled and hugged Kelli as she waited to see who won King **"And you surprised me this year. Not only did the favorite _not_ win, the newest member of your class won almost by as much as a landslide as Mel did. Your Junior King is Mr. Bradin Westerly"** Bradin looked almost as shocked as James did. Mel smiled as she took his hand and walked up the stage and they were crowned together **"And Seniors?" **a roar came from the crowd** "Your Homecoming Queen is Miss Laura Carmikal and your Homecoming King is Mr. Adam Avery. Now the royal couples will share the moonlight dance." **All the winners danced on the stage, ending the dance. Now new troubles were ahead, the after parties.

"Sorry you didn't win honey" Mel said to James as they walked out of the gym to the limo he had rented just for them. She tried her hardest to look totally sincere

James looked at her. "It's ok babe. I just have to be more sociable so I get Prom King. It's just homecoming." He opened the door for her and they got in. As soon as James gave the driver the directions to the beach, he came back and wrapped his arms around Mel "I love you baby" he said

Mel smiled "I care about you too" she replied

James looked at her. "Why can't you just say it? We've been together over 2 years, its three little words, just say it" he said aggravated

"Yes, literally it may be three little words, but they have big meaning behind them. I know we've been together 2 years, and I promise I'll say it, I just can't say it until I'm sure of what it means and I'm not sure yet. We've been over this. Please try to understand" she begged. He grunted "James please… please don't ruin tonight because I won't say it. I really don't want to, don't make me" she begged. He didn't look at her, he just continued to look out the window "James please look at me" she said quietly

"I can't look at you if you don't feel the way I do" he said bluntly

Melani sighed as a single tear ran down her cheek "Fine, don't" she said trying not to have her voice sound shaky.

It must have been, despite her effort because James turned around and looked at her. He saw the tears in her eyes. "Don't cry." He said firmly. They pulled up to the beach and James got out "I'll let you change while I grab us something to drink. Come find me when you're done, ok?" he kissed her forehead and closed the door, not waiting for an answer.

Melani sighed as she pulled off her dress and threw on jeans, a light blue tank top and a light yellow sweatshirt. She jumped out of the limo and walked over to James. He handed her a beer "Thanks" she said, now afraid of him getting drunk.

As the night went on, James drank more and more, and Mel drank less and less. She knew she wouldn't be able to resist him if she was even a little bit tipsy. At about 1, James came over to her, totally smashed, but sadly totally in control of himself "Let's go inside baby. I want you"

Mel looked at him "J, you're drunk, I don't want to do this" she turned and began to walk away.

He didn't like that at all. He grabbed her and dragged her down the beach. "First you won't say you love me, now you won't have sex with me. What the hell is your problem?" he yelled as he tightened his grip on her arms.

Melani started to shake, she'd been with him when he was mad and drunk, but it was nothing like this. Her arms started to numb over because of the pain of his grasp "I just don't want to" she said quietly, looking at the ground

"LOOK AT ME WHEN WE'RE TALKING!" he yelled.

She forced herself to look at him _He's going to rape me, I can just tell. _She thought. _Holy crap, what do I do? He's stronger than me, he'll kill me if I resist him, oh God, where's Bradin and Lucas when I need them?_

James looked at her angrily "SAY IT MELANI!" he yelled, his grip becoming so unbearable

"Please James, don't make me, please!" she pleaded, tears starting to pour down her face

"STOP CRYING DAMN IT. I SAID SAY IT"

Try as she might, she couldn't stop crying "I love you" she said weakly, not meaning it at all.

James loosened his grip on her "Good." He replied "Now I'll be in the house, you better get your ass in there soon after you get yourself together. Don't make me come out and get you" and with that he walked back down the beach.

Melani fell to the ground. She just let the tears freely fall now. She couldn't believe that she had just said that. No, she could believe it, and the huge black, not purple, bruises on her arms were the reasons.

* * *

Back a little way, Allie and Bradin were standing by the fire. The had decided it was too cliché to have sex for the first time after a dance so instead theywere enjoying each other's company. Bradin happened to look over at the water and saw Melani collapsed on the ground "Shit" he said and ran off, Allie close behind. Upon hearing and seeing him, Kelli and Lucas were just a step behind Allie.

Even before he saw her he heard her crying. "Mel" he said, scooping her up in his arms. Allie looked at her, then at him. "Mel what happened" he asked

Mel couldn't talk. Her tears were all over his shirt. All she could mange to do was to pull off her sweatshirt. Two huge dark black bruises were on her arms "Oh my God" Allie said, "What happened to you?"

"Can I tell her Mel?" Kelli asked. Melani nodded as Bradin started to dry her tears "Allie, you can't tell anyone, promise?"

"I promise" she said, concerned

"James hit her. He has for a while."

"Brae Baby?" Mel said quietly

"Yeah Angel" he replied

"Will you take me to your house? James knows my parents aren't home and I'm scared of him, I really really am."

"Absolutely Angel. He kissed her as he picked her up in his arms" she curled up against him "I'm sorry Allie. I have to help her." Allie nodded as Bradin carried Melani in the opposite direction toward his house.

"Allie you can't tell a soul. They're together, like legit together because she's to afraid to leave James" Kelli explained

Allie nodded "That explains a lot. I'll go keep James occupied until he passes out. I just hope she's ok. I just want him to be happy, and if he's happy with her, then that's good. I don't want her to get hurt."

"Thanks Allie" Kelli said. The three walked back toward the party, and Allie walked into the house, ready to do what needed to be done to help her friend

* * *

A/N: (again) WOW, that was really really long! Ok, I have to update my other 2 stories before I update this one again, so it might be a few days! Hope you like this chapter, not too intense, right ;-) 143 Steph 


	22. The Morning After A Night of Hell

Ava opened Bradin's door the next morning to put his laundry on his bed. She nearly jumped three feet when he saw a girl sleeping in his bed _oh no, he had sex in this bed, while we all were home _she thought. Looking closer, she noticed the girl wasn't Allie, she was fully clothed and better yet, Bradin wasn't in the bed. She put the clothes on his desk chair and walked onto the patio. Sure enough he was standing there, looking out at the ocean "Hi honey, how was the dance"

Bradin snapped out of his trance "Um, I've been to better. I got homecoming king though, that was kinda cool"

"Honey that's great." She paused "Ok, so here's the real question. Why on earth is Melani asleep in your bed? What happened to Allie?"

"Mel just had some problems with her date and no one's home at her house so I told her she could crash here. Allie decided to stay at the party when I came back. I was planning on calling her a little later"

Ava hugged her nephew "You've grown up very fast, now taking care of your friends. Your parents would be very proud"

"As it is I wonder" Bradin mumbled "thanks aunt Ava" he said. "I'm going to wake her up. I'll talk to you later, ok?" Ava nodded and walked off the patio onto the deck. Bradin walked over to her and carefully pressed his lips against hers, massaging her lower lip with his tongue. She slowly opened her eyes "Morning Angel" he said smiling

Mel smiled and kissed him softly "Morning yourself." She rubbed her eyes "What time is it?"

"Um, 9:15, why" he asked, moving a strand of hair from her face

"I have to go back to Lucas' house and check on James" she said as she got up

Bradin looked at her confused "Take off your sweatshirt" he said. She looked at him funny "Do it and look at what he did to you then tell me you need to go see him" he said angrily

"I know what he did to me Bradin, I experienced it, ok?" she said smartly "But I need to go back, we've been over this"

"Seriously Mel, how many times do you have to get hurt before you realize that you need to get away from him? Those bruises on your arms are serious. I looked at them and I want you to while I'm here. I want you to see how much he apparently cares for you"

Melani looked at the serious expression on his face. She sighed and pulled off her sweatshirt. The bruises were dark black on the inside of her upper arms "Are you happy? I see them" she said, her voice cracking as she pulled the sweatshirt over her head again.

Bradin walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms "It's ok to cry Mel. The things he does to you are horrible. Please, let me make you feel better" he pulled her in tighter

"No" she said pushing him away "now I need to go see my boyfriend. This game that we keep playing is only going to hurt you. We shouldn't have ever started this, its only gotten you too involved in my life and everyone else got sucked in too. It can't happen anymore, all of you are in danger now. I can't let you be. I'm sorry" she said as she ran out the door and onto the beach.

Bradin paused then ran after her. She didn't stop until she was all the way to Lucas' house "Mel, Wait up!" he called, but the more he yelled, the faster she ran. Finally he stopped, knowing no matter what, she was going back to him. He slowly walked back to his house, his head totally up in the clouds

* * *

Melani walked into Lucas' house to see him and Kelli fast asleep together on the couch. She smirked as she took a pillow off the floor and hit Kelli on the head "What the fuck?" she said, obviously a little hung over

"Nice way to wake up huh Kel" she said smiling. Lucas stirred and looked at her

"What are you doing here?" he said groggily "I thought you were with Bradin"

"I was, and now I'm here. Where's James?" she said, like nothing had happened

"Um, in Tanner's room. Why?" Lucas asked, now fully awake

"Because I need to go see him, that's why" she said, and started walking away and up the stairs before Kelli and Lucas had a chance to stop her. She sighed as she opened the door. There he was, fast asleep on Tanner's bed. _He's going to have one hell of a hangover _She thought. She slowly walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, unsure of whether or not she wanted to wake him up. Apparently, just making the bed move was enough.

"Hey baby" he said, holding his head

"I can't believe you have the nerve to say that to me after what you did last night" she said, a scowl on her face

"Mel what are you talking about? What happened last night? And why are we both fully clothed?" he said, very confused

"Leave it to you to pull off all the shit you did last night and be so drunk you don't even remember" she said aggravated

"Mel what the hell happened? Come on, I don't remember, cut a guy some slack here" he said, now fully feeling the effect of being smashed the night before

"Do you remember what happened before you got drunk?" she said

"Yeah, we got into a fight about you not saying I love you to me. What does that have to do with anything. Tell me what happened last night"

"Here's the deal, I'm going to leave right now, and I'll let you figure out what the hell you did last night, then maybe you'll realize how much of a jackass you really are" she said with a look on her face, then walked out the door and down the stairs "Bye guys" she said as she walked out the back door and out of sight

* * *

_What the hell happened last night_ James thought as he walked along the pier later that afternoon _and why the hell is she so pissed? _James racked his brain trying to figure out what he had done that was so bad, bit and pieces came back, her rejecting him when he said he wanted to be with her, him storming off, him dragging her down the beach, but the rest was just a blur. Absentmindedly he walked right into Tanner

"Dude, don't think so hard, you might hurt yourself" he joked

James laughed "Yeah, I know. I'm starting to get a headache" he said jokingly "But seriously, I did something last night to Mel and she's totally pissed about it, and I'm trying to remember what it was"

"You're letting her be really pissed at you, man how warped can you be?" Tanner replied

"No, I usually don't, but she's like close to breaking up with me pissed, like I did something she hated. And for the life of me, I can't remember what it was. And I know that if I go over and I'm like I'm sorry, she'll definitely say for what. She won't let me bull it"

"What could you have done that made her that pissed? She's crazy about you, except when she has PMS, which is like every other week, then she's just annoying"

James laughed "That's not the problem; she's getting to close to Bradin, that's what's bugging me lately"

"Mel and farm boy, huh? Wow, that's a duo. I can see her warping him in a second. Keep them apart; I can see her falling for him"

"Great, thanks for sharing." James said, rolling his eyes. The two stood in silence for a little while. Suddenly James snapped out of his trance "shit!" he said

"What?" tanner asked

"I know what I did, I gotta go find her! I'll see you later" and with the he started off in a sprint down the beach.

* * *

Hey guys! Just fixed this chapter, Thanks a zillion to kandykane33 for pointing it out! I hope you all get to read the updated version, not the wrong one! 143 Steph 


	23. Scars

A/n: I don't own the song Scars by Papa Roach, but it is my favorite song at the present moment. And FYI, I don't do the things Mel does in this chapter, so don't anyone freak out, ok? I just know people who do. Thanz for reading, don't 4get to review! Steph

* * *

Melani sat on her bed listening to music, but not the stereotypical cheerleader music. The song playing in her CD changer at the moment was **_Scars_** _by Papa Roach_. She closed her eyes and thought of how this song was her life in a nutshell. She had pushed the only person she really cared about away, she was pissed at the person who cared about her, and she was out of concealer, which meant she had to wear a sweatshirt to cover the marks James had given her the night before until she got a chance to get out to get some.

_Damn, my life sucks_ she thought. She slowly took in the words of the song and thought of cutting herself for the first time in a while. She got up and walked into her bathroom and opened the cabinet over the sink. She pulled up the loose shelf and pulled out an old case and opened it, looking at the razors she had hidden in it all those years ago. _What the hell are you thinking?_ her conscience screamed _It took you soo long to stop that, don't start again! Remember what they told you, no guy is worth your tears, much less your blood._ Mel sighed as she looked at the razors. It had been over 3 years since she had cut herself; being depressed at 13 was not a good thing as she had found out. Months of therapy later, she promised not to resort back to that. The scars had faded, only to be replaced by new ones from a different origin. She flashed back to one hard night:

"_Please don't do it again honey" her mother pleaded after catching her_

"_I have to mom, it's the only way I feel better, just let me!" she screamed, blood appearing on a facecloth she held to her wrist_

"_No Melani! Life cannot be that bad! Nothing is worth you spilling your own blood, stop honey, please stop!"_

"_NO!" she screamed, grabbing another razor and bringing it to her wrist again. Her mother watched in horror, frozen to the spot, as she cut herself again, more blood appearing on the cloth_

"_Melani stop!" her mother cried, tears falling down her face "Honey, give them to me, please honey!" Mel looked at the pain in her mother's face and noticed it was much deeper than what she felt. She slowly handed the razorsto her mom before collapsing on the floor in tears._

Melani snapped back to reality. It scared her that she could recall every detail of that night. She shook as she took a razor out of the case and looked at it. _It always made you feel better, just do it. Remember, I tear my heart open just to feel_ she thought, quoting the line from the song. She took a deep breath as she slowly placed the razor on her arm. She was about to push down when she heard someone call her name. Quickly she put the stuff away and walked out into her room, seeing James sitting on her bed

"Baby, I'm soooo sorry!" he said getting up and trying to hug her, but she backed away, arms crossed over her chest "I guess I deserve that, after what I did"

"What did you do?" she said, just like he thought.

"I would have never made you say I love you. I don't know what got over me, I know how important that sentence is to you. I can't believe I did that to you." He looked at her and saw the pain in her eyes, more than just emotional "Can you take off your sweatshirt?" he asked, still looking at her

"Why?" she said. He looked at her pleadingly and she understood why. She pulled the sweatshirt over her head, exposing the black bruises

"Oh my God" he breathed as he looked at them "What did I do to you" he walked towards her, but she backed away "Please Mel" he whispered. She stopped moving once she hit a wall and he kept walking until he was right against her. He grabbed her arm and kissed the bruise on her arm. He looked at her, then kissed the other one. Totally absorbed in the moment, he looked at her and passionately kissed her on the lips.

Melani pulled away and pushed him off of her "You think you can pull off all the crap you did last night, and just kissing me will make it all better, will make me want to be with you" she practically yelled "I hate you right now! Look at me, do I look like the happy Mel everyone likes? NO! Wanna know why? Because my boyfriend abuses me, I got into a fight with one of my best friend today and I almost cut myself for the first time in 3 years!" she screamed

James stared at her "You almost cut yourself because of me?" he said, shocked "Melani, don't ever do that. I would much rather spend the rest of my life without you then have you hurt yourself because I hurt you. Promise me you won't do that! Promise me Mel!"

Melani looked at him as she made her way to the door "I can't promise anything anymore. Bye James" she said and walked out the door and out onto the beach.

* * *

Bradin walked absentmindedly around the beach. _I have to find her, she needs to know I'm here for her. I know where she'll go_ Bradin ran up the beach and out of sight

* * *

Melani wandered the beach alone, walking so the water hit her feet. She just wanted to walk into the ocean and never come out. _How fucked up is my life that I want to do all the things I swore never to do again _she thought. _I can't believe I've gotten in so deep. I need to think, I need to get away…I need, God I don't know what I need!_

She slowly made her way to the forest on the edge of the beach. She followed the path and went through the hedge to her own private paradise. She closed her eyes and put her head back as she listened to the running water of the stream. She opened her eyes and saw Bradin sitting there, feet in the stream. "What are you doing here?" she said, not looking at him

"I came here to see you" he said, not looking at her as well

The two sat in silence for a while until she looked at him "And you knew I'd end up here, didn't you?" she said, a tear slipping down her cheek

"Of course I did" he said, pulling her into a tight hug "You can't get rid of me Mel, you're stuck with me, no matter what crap you pull to try to push me away"

"Bradin, I can't imagine not being with you" she said, crying into his chest "Bradin I hit rock bottom this afternoon, legit rock bottom"

Bradin pushed away and looked her in the eyes. They were as blue as the water in the stream next to them "What do you mean Angel?" he said concerned

Melani sighed "When I was in 8th grade I was a mess. Like the definition of a mess. I wasn't happy, I was depressed, and I cut myself. I started in November and my mom caught me in May.My parentsmade me go to therapy for the whole summer and the peopletaught me to put my anger in other places, like surfing, that's why i surf every morning.So I swore I would never hurt myself again, but today I was like 2 seconds away from doing it, I had the razor on my wrist" she looked down, so ashamed of herself

Bradin looked at her. "I don't want you to ever do that again" he said seriously. She concentrated at the ground. He took her chin and lifted it up so she was looking at him "Promise me you won't do it again Mel"

She sighed "I don't know if I can promise that Brae" she said, looking in his eyes

"Yes you can. If ever you feel like you need to do that, call me and we'll come here. I don't care if you're mad at me, or at James or at the world in general, I want you to call me. Got it?"

Melani looked deep into his eyes. He saw a mirror of the pain she saw in her mom all those years ago "Ok, I promise" she said, "I just can't control it sometimes, its so hard"

"I bet it is" he said hugging her again "But I won't let you hurt yourself, not ever" he pulled her in close and hugged her tighter than he ever had.


	24. The Plan

Time seemed to pass in absolute warp-speed and before they knew it, it was the day before Christmas Vacation. Melani was happy, vacation meant that James would be in Mexico with his family and she could be with Bradin 24/7 _and_ not feel guilty, or so she thought. Though, as usual, Melani had taken James back when he showered her with gifts, apologies and kisses after homecoming, the relationship between her and Bradin had gotten stronger and more intense. As their relationship got stronger, more people found out, though all of them seemed to understand and except it. Of the 25 some-odd people who knew, not one told James. Last day of classes were a joke, and since no practices were held after school, all the students longed for the last bell.

"Mel" James called as she walked down the hall to her car. He caught up to her and kissed her on the cheek. "How are you Baby?"

Melani smiled while secretly biting her tongue "Good honey, how are you?"

"Good" He wrapped his arm around her should "Soo, vacation, huh? What are your plans?"

"Umm, just chill with the gang, maybe hit a few parties, my parents are both going to be home, so probably doing some stuff with them, nothing big, what about you, totally psyched to go back to Mexico?"

A smile spread across his face "I guess…" he said, trailing off

"Ok, what does _that_ mean? I know that hint anywhere" she said, eying him suspiciously

"Well, I was kinda wondering if you wanted to ditch Playa Linda and come stay down there with me… Just the two of us, a whole week and a half" he said smiling

A knot formed in her stomach "Wow, that's…wow. Where is the resort again?" she said, trying to stall the answer

"It's in Cabo San Lucas. We'd take my dad's boat down there into the port. Just ya know, do stuff." He said smirking

"That sounds cool J, but I always spend Christmas with my parents and we have my family over and people from Kansas come, it's a big deal for my family. But, I'll ask my parents, maybe I can come down the day after?" she said, trying to sound like she was excited about the idea

"Ok, I totally understand" he said, apparently believing everything she said "Just call me when you know. I really want you to come, I want us to be together in heaven"

Melani forced a smile "It sounds like fun. I'll see what I can do, ok?" she quickly kissed him

"Ok" he replied and passionately kissed her, forcing his tongue deep into her mouth. When he pulled away he looked at her in the eyes "I have to leave tonight, so I can't go to Kristi's party. You think you can survive without me?"

She laughed "I'll see what I can do, I can sure try"

He smiled, then got serious, "Now we need to talk about something" he pulled her over to a bench by the quad. The knot in Melani's stomach tightened "I don't want us to see other people over the break"

Melani tried to look cool "And what makes you think you can call that? That's always been an agreement with us"

"I know, but we've gotten closer and I don't want it to happen anymore. I want to be yours and only yours and I want you to me mine and only mine"

"J, I don't know if I can do that, but I'll try. That's all I can promise, ok? Please tell me that's enough" she looked at him in the eyes and he looked back at hers

"Ok, you try. Cell me when you know about coming and I'll take the boat up to get you ok?" he kissed her "I have to go get my stuff, my dad will throw a fit if I'm not there tonight. Love you honey" he kissed her again and walked away

Mel put her head back "What have I done to deserve this?" she asked no one in particular. "Why am I being tortured so much?" she sighed as she got up and walked over to her car, started the engine and drove home

* * *

"Mel! Mel!" Bradin called. They were all at a party on the beach to celebrate the fact there was no school for a week and a half "Hey, how are you?" he said hugging her 

"Better now that _he's_ gone" she said, smiling at Bradin

"And now we can be together." He pulled her in and kissed her passionately, not caring who saw "He's really gone? He's no going to jump out of the bushes and attack me, right?"

"Saw him leave with my own two eyes" she said, kissing him back "But I'm not supposed to hook up with anyone while he's gone. Oops, too late" she said laughin as she kissed him again "I'm just glad I don't have to deal with him for a week and a half, though get this, he invited me down to stay with him. Like my parents would let that happen"

"Your parents? They're in town?" Bradin said, confused. In all the time he had been with Mel, her parents had been nowhere to be seen

"Yeah, they're coming for the holidays. Actually they're flying in tonight. You should come over and see them. I'm sure they'd love to see you again. Sadly you might have to explain the whole accident thing to them"

"It's ok, its' gotten easier. Being with you has made it easier" he hugged her as they walked back toward the party "I love you Melani, you know that right?"

Mel smiled and looked into his deep green eyes 'Yes, I know it and I love you too. More than you'll ever know" she kissed him quickly then hugged him

He hugged her back, then took her hand. They walked toward the waters edge and sat down "This has gotten real, really fast Mel" he said, looking at her in the moon's reflection

"I know. I never though I would be able to fall this fast for someone, but I did. It's kinda scary when you think about it. How I'm so comfortable with you, how I feel like as long as I'm in your arms everything is alright"

"I know that feeling. What I meant was this has gotten real, and with it has gotten complications. Mel, so many people know about us, one could easily slip and tell Tanner or James or one of his friends. We need a plan, something to do if we know he's going to find out"

"Like what?" Mel said, confused "It's not like we have many options. We can get the hell out of Playa Linda or you can get the crap beaten out of you"

"Ok, not exactly what I was thinking" Bradin said laughing

She laughed too "Well what do you want us to do? There's not much you can do at 17 and I can do at 16"

A smile spread across Bradin's face "Ok, you're right. But I love you Melani, and everyone gets that. So, here's my proposal, if we know that someone finds out that will definitely tell James, we go get married"

Melani's face dropped "Get married, what are you nuts? My parents wouldn't let us do that, neither would your aunt. Bradin that's crazy!" she replied

"I love you Mel, and I know it sounds crazy, but we could make them understand, and if not, Vegas is like less than a 5 hour drive from here. We can get married down there"

"Bradin, you're serious about this aren't you?" she said quietly.

He nodded "I want to be with you, and I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, do you want that with me?"

Melani smiled "I want all that and more with you" she hugged him "Bradin, but why wait until James finds out? Why not do it right now?"

"Do you want to? That will be one hell of a Christmas present!" he said laughing

She smiled "Come on, let's go. We can decide about that later" She grabbed his hand and walked toward the fire and grabbed 2 wine coolers "To us" she said, holding it up for a toast

"To us" he said as they hit bottles. They both took a drink and he pulled her in tight "I love you so much Mel" he said as he pulled her in for a kiss. As they broke away, a knot formed in Mel's stomach as she saw who had just seen them make out…

* * *

A/N: oooo, gotta love cliffhangers. Who was it this time? James, Tanner, a friend or enemy? I guess you'll just have to review to find out :-) Steph 


	25. What a Price to Pay

A/N: Ok, so after reading all the angry reviews about how you obviously don't like my cliffhangers, i decided to be nice and write a chapter today. So just a warning, this chapter is kinda nuts. My friend Sara helped me write it, so if u like it i might need to enlist her. So enjoy it, review and tell me what u think, y'all know the drill! 143 Steph :)

* * *

"Shit" Melani said as she pulled away

"What?" Bradin said confused

"We might be getting married sooner than we planned. I gotta run, I'll see you later" she quickly kissed him and ran off in the direction of the person who saw.

_She's going to kill me with this kiss and run stuff _he thought _Literally kill me

* * *

_

Melani walked down the beach to find Bradin the next afternoon. She heard a commotion past the rocks. She didn't even need to see who it was to know what was going on. She started off in a sprint, turning the corner just in time to see Tanner punch Bradin in the eye.

"Stay the hell away from her Farm Trash" he yelled as he hit him again "She's James', not yours."

"Tanner STOP!" she cried as she ran up to him and tried to push him off of Bradin "Tanner please, PLEASE STOP HITTING HIM!" she screamed before he pushed her onto the ground

"You little whore!" he said, getting off Bradin and walking to her "How dare you cheat on him! You little slut! He's going to be very interested in what you do while he's gone"

"Please Tanner, don't tell him. I'm begging you" she got down on her knees in front of him "I'll do anything, just please don't tell him. Please Tanner. Please say you'll keep my secret"

Tanner looked at her, then a smile spread across his face. Melani felt her stomach do a flip "You want me to keep quiet, fine. But you're going to have to work for it. It comes with a cost."

Bradin looked at him "No it doesn't. She's not doing anything for you. She's not you little whore Tanner." he said sternly

"We'll see" he said as he started walking away "You'll get a text from me later Mel. You better follow it, if you want your secret safe" he said, laughing

"Oh I have a bad feeling about this Brae" she said, putting her head in her hands.

Bradin walked over to her "I won't let him hurt you Angel, you mean too much to me. He's _not _going to hurt you."

She nodded "Let's go get something to eat, I can't think about this, its going to make me sick"

"Ok" He replied as he helped her up and wrapped his arm around her back "I promise Mel, he can't hurt you, I won't let him"

* * *

Melani and Bradin walked along the pier later that afternoon. All thoughts of Tanner had gone from both of their heads. They were just enjoying each other's company. Suddenly, Mel's phone went off

"I can't believe you have Barbie Girl as your text ringtone" he said laughing

"What? I love the song, it's so funny. Plus, it makes me laugh when I hear it, it has a double purpose. I still like my real one though" she said laughing

"Yeah, that's an awesome song. The Atari's are a great group. I remember listening to Boys of Summer back in Kansas"

Mel smiled as she flipped open her phone. Her smile quickly faded as she read the sender of the message "Brae, it's him" she said quietly "What do I do?"

Bradin looked at her and led her to a bench "You have to read it" he said "Read it out loud though, I want to know what he said"

Melani took a deep breath "Meet me outside Spanish Cove at 7:30. Don't be late and come alone. ALONE Melani -T-"

Bradin looked at her "There's no way I'm letting you go alone" he said bluntly "He's planning something and I'm not letting you be his guinea pig. Not going to happen"

"Bradin, I have to. If we're going to stay together I need to go see him...alone. I said I'd do anything, and I will, as long as it'll keep you safe. I have to do this" she looked at him seriously

Bradin looked at her "Fine, I'll let you go. But bring your phone, if you need me call and I'll be there in 2 minutes or less. I'm not going to let him hurt you" he hugged her "Be safe Angel"

"I will" she said looking into his eyes "I promise"

* * *

Melani looked at her watch _how dare he tell me not to be late and then be late himself. He's such a hypocrite_ she thought, noticing it was 7:40. She saw him come out of one of the caves

"Ready to pay Mel" he said smiling

"What do you have planned and then I'll tell you" she said smartly

"Don't pull an attitude with me, I'm the only thing standing between your lover not getting the shit beaten out of him, so I'd be nice" he said coldly

"So why not tell James. You'd like nothing more than to see Bradin get beat up. I don't understand what could be so inviting that would make you want to give up that opportunity" she said

"Easy Mel. You" he replied "I might not get to see Bradin get the crap beating outta him, but I get you. That's enough for me"

"Define get me" she said, her voice tensing "I don't think I like the sound of that"

"Well, you seem to be able to be with guys other than your boyfriend, why not add one more" he said, walking toward her

"You're kidding me, right" she said, questionably "You want me to have sex with you in exchange for your silence. You're really going to sleep with your best friend's girlfriend?"

"He said I could have you when I wanted you." He said, still walking toward her. She had now backed up against one of the rocks, but he kept moving until he was on top of her. He slid his hand up her shirt but she pushed him away "Don't do anything stupid Mel. One wrong move and James knows EVERYTHING" he said, eying her

She bit her lip "So that's it, I sleep with you once and you'll drop it?" she said, her voice shaking

"No, you sleep with me when I want you to and I won't tell him. But not, I do all the work, you just lie there, sex, you have to do it too. Whatever I want, you do. And you can't tell your lover-boy Bradin."

"So you want me to be your whore in other words. To come running to you when you want some? You're kidding right? That's insane"

"Really, well you decide right now. Do you follow me into that cave and sleep with me, or do I pull out my phone and call James right here, right now. He'd be on the next plane here ya know"

"I have no doubts" she said

"Decide Melani. Decide now" he said, still against her

"I can't let you two hurt him. I'll do it" she said quietly

Tanner laughed "That's what I thought" he grabbed her hand and pulled her into one of the caves. It was illuminated by candles. "Remember, whatever I want, you do" he said as he pushed her against a wall and started kissing her. When she didn't kiss him back he pulled away "Kiss me Mel" he said sternly "And don't make me tell you to doeverything. If you make this hard, it'll be worse for you"

He leaned in and started kissing her again, and much to her dismay, she started kissing him back _Just don't think about it_ she kept telling herself _You're doing this for Bradin, just pretend it's Bradin. _

Tanner pulled her onto the ground, so she was underneath him. Though she had stopped physically and verbally fighting him, he knew she was still unhappy about it "Stop" he said between kisses "It's just sex"

She pulled away "There's no such thing as 'just sex' " she said looking at him. She felt so inferior "Just tell me you have a condom"

He eyed her "What if I don't?" he said, looking at her

"Then I'd rather Bradin get the crap beaten out of him then get pregnant with _your_ child. If you don't have one, I'm out of here" she looked at him seriously

He pulled out his wallet and showed her a whole bunch of them "I'm not stupid Mel. Now kiss me again" he said. She looked at him before slowly placing her lips against his.

About 5 minutes later, Tanner got bored of just making out and moved toward her neck. She moved her neck so he could get a better angle, while still thinking about Bradin.

Tanner noticed that she wasn't completely there and got frustrated "What the hell" he said, pushing her away "Get your head here, NOW" he yelled.

Now she was scared and began to sit up. "What do you want from me!" she yelled back "I'm doing what you want!" her voice shaking

"Fine" he said. She could tell he was pissed "Let's do it then" he pushed her onto the ground and began to kiss her roughly. While he was doing this, he held her arms above her with one arm and began pulling her shirt off with the other hand. With one pull he got it off of her, though it tore in the front "I like it rough" he said laughing as he pulled off her pants, still holding her down.

She felt tears burn her eyes, but she knew that if he saw her crying, that would be the end of it. When all her clothes wer off he looked at her "Is it my turn" she said, trying to sound composed, or as composed as somone naked could be

"Yeah" he said, letting go of her arms. "But I want you to give me head first. Then we'll go from there" She nodded as she started taking his clothes off.

* * *

The next 30 minutes were hell on earth for her. Just when she thought he couldn't do anymore, he'd do more. What he said was true though, he wasn't gentle at all. Everything ached when he was done with her. Once he was satisfied he got off of her and threw her clothes to her "You're amazing, you know that" he said as he helped her put them on

"Don't try to be nice, it doesn't suit you" she said smartly "Are we done or do you want me to do itagain?"

He laughed "I don't think I could take you again." He smiled wickedly "You're free to go, but keep your phone with you. When I need you I'll text you. And you better come"

"Anything for Bradin" she said as she walked past him to the opening of the cave.

He grabbed her arm "For that comment, you better have your phone later tonight" he said looking her in the eyes

She nodded as he let go and walked out of the cave. As soon as she knew he couldn't see her, she started running, tears pouring down her face. Bradin saw her and ran after her. She ran all the way to her house and threw herself on her bed. He walked in after her and sat on the edge of her bed. He put his hand on her back and screamed as she jumped about 3 feet "Angel, what did he do to you?" he asked, looking at the pain in her eyes


	26. Fights and A Revelation

Melani took a deep breath before looking at Bradin "Nothing, he did nothing to me, I'm just kinda out of it. Don't worry about me"

"Mel, you jumped 3 feet when I touched you, that's not being out of it" Bradin said, eyeing her. He was about to say something when I knock came at the door

"Mel honey, are you in there" her mother asked

Mel composed herself "Yeah, I'm in here mom" she said.

Her mother opened the door and smiled "Oh honey, I didn't know you had company" she replied, smiling sweetly

"Yeah, he just walked me home. Mom, do you remember Karen and Bob Westerly?"

"Oh yes, lovely people. They were in a terrible accident I heard… Wait, Mel honey, is this Bradin?" she said

Melani smiled "Looks a little different than he used to, doesn't he?" she said laughing

Bradin got up and held out his hand to shake hers, but she pulled him in a tight hug "Oh Bradin, I'm so sorry for your loss. How are you doing?"

"Ok" he said "It was hard, but Mel's helped me a lot. She's really been a life-saver" he added, causing her to smile

Melani's mom smiled "It's good that you two have become such good friends. I always knew you could be nice, it's good you finally learned how to" They both laughed. Suddenly her expression changed "Melani, what happened to your shirt, it has a huge rip in it! What happened!"

Mel laughed "I was walking by the cove and it got caught on one of the rocks. It's nothing big, You know how klutzy I am mom"

Her mother smiled again "Don't I. I'm going to run out for a little while, do you think you two can be good?" she said winking

"I think so Mrs. Lawrence" Bradin said

"Ok, it was great seeing you again Bradin, you'll have to come over for dinner some night when I have time to cook. And call me Laura! Have fun you two" she said as she left the room

"Bye Mrs. Lawrence" Bradin said as she closed the door "Nothing happened right? Then try to explain the huge rip in your shirt, because I sure as hell don't believe it go ripped on a rock at the cave. Melani what did he do to you?" he said, getting angry

"Damn Bradin, drop it! Nothing happened!" she said, getting angry herself, "I said nothing happened, you should believe me! What the hell do you want from me?"

"I want you to tell me the truth Mel!" he replied "Why are you so defensive! God, all I want is you to be safe, I'm not the bad guy here!"

"I know that Bradin, but nothing happened! Why don't you get that! Wouldn't I tell you if something did?"

"No, you'd keep it inside" he said sternly, "Damn Mel! Why can't you just…." He started but was interrupted by her phone going off.

She pulled it out of her pocket and read the text message. She rolled her eyes "I gotta go" she said, shutting it.

"Wait, I thought this was a one-shot deal. If he's got you running every time he wants something, I'd rather get beat up by James. He's not going to use you"

"First off, who said it was him?" he eyed her "Fine, it was him, but it's no big"

"I don't want you to go Mel. I'm telling you not to" he said sternly

"Good thing I don't listen to guys… I have to go Brae, you don't understand" she said quietly

"I want to, tell me!" he said, "Please Angel"

"I can't, I'm sorry" she said as she ran out the door

* * *

Melani sat in the sand outside her house later. Part of her wanted to tell Bradin everything, part of her wanted to get the hell out of Playa Linda, and part of her just wanted to go see Tanner and get it over with. She got up and walked toward his house and hesitated by the back door, _what have I gotten myself into? _She thought as she sat in one of the chairs

"You're early" she heard from the balcony above her "Not that I'm complaining. Come on in, Lucas is out"

Melani sighed as she opened the back door. She had been to their house a million times, but now it seemed so different, so scary. Tanner met her in the living room. "Nice to know you're loyal to our agreement. You passed the test" he said smiling

"So you don't want anything, you just wanted to make sure I'd come?" she said "You really thought I wouldn't?"

"No, I want something from you, and no I didn't think you wouldn't show" he smirked "Lets play a game" he said

She rolled her eyes "What kind of game?" she said, sitting on the foot rest of the chair

"It's not hard, you have to try to guess what I want you to do" he said, smile widening

"I know you, its either sex or oral" she said bluntly

He laughed "Yes, you do know me don't you? Well, which one is it? If you get it right I'll give you something"

She rolled her eyes "Well it's you, so probably full out sex" she said smartly

He laughed again "Explain to me how you're smart. I already had sex with you today, I don't want to go through that again; it was quite a workout the first time. So, you're wrong. I want oral"

"I already did that to you too. You're kind of a hypocrite" she said

"Don't be a bitch" he said "So I'm a hypocrite, big deal. I still want it" he smirked

"Your wish is my command" she said, a hint of shame in her voice "But can we do it somewhere else, I don't want Luke to walk in on us"

He nodded "I like the my wish, your command thing." He smiled and grabbed her hand "we can go to my room" he said as he led her upstairs and closed the door

"Sit on the edge of the bed" she instructed, trying to sound like she was ok with this, while in her head she wanted to puke

"Yes mam" he replied and sat down.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before kneeling in front of him. She pushed his legs so they were open and began to undo his belt "Anything specific you want me to do before I do this?" she said, dreading the answer

"Hmmm" he replied, obviously thinking hard "No, I'll let you off with just giving me a blowjob"

_Thank God_ she thought. She pulled off his pants, but hesitated when she got to his boxers. _Just do it, he'll freak if you don't _she thought. She played with the waistband, trying to make it look like he was teasing him, not hesitating. Finally she just pulled them off and did it.

When he was satisfied, he told her so "You're amazing at that, you know that right?" He said as he lifted her chin up so she was looking at him

"I do it to James all the time, it comes with practice I guess" she said, picking his boxers up off the floor next to her and helped him by sliding them on.

"And farm boy too?" he said, looking at her smartly

"Actually, he doesn't like me doing it, he thinks it makes me feel inferior, so he does it to me, I don't do it to him" she said, eyes cast down "Not that it matters to you. Are you satisfied, or is there more I can do for you?"

He laughed "Aren't you the go-getter"

She shrugged "I've excepted that this is happening and its pointless for me to fight it. I might as well just let it happen"

"Well it's good that you came to that revelation. No, I'm satisfied, you can go. Remember, keep your phone handy"

"I'll have it on me 24/7" she said, forcing a smile "I'll see you later" she said as she got up and walked outside "God, this is going to be one long vacation" she said as she walked home

* * *

A/N: Hey, i'm really on a roll with this story, so if you read my other stories, they're kinda going to be on hold for a while, sorry. I already have the begining of next chapter done, so expect it tomorrow or Sunday. As always, if ya like it/hate it, got any ideas, Pleaz post them in your review, i love help! Hope ya liked it! 143 Steph 


	27. Time take its Toll

A/N: Hey guys, thanks for the revies, for all of ya who said it was gross, nothing like that happens anymore, the story itself is winding down, only a few chapters left, but trust me, the ending will be…unexpected, to say the least. I hope ya enjoy this chapter. The next one will be up soon :-) Steph

* * *

The next few days were torture for Mel. She was so afraid that being with Bradin would make her feel loved, she avoided him at all costs. At least twice a day Tanner would text her and she'd do whatever he wanted. She was just a pawn, his for as long as he wanted her. And reluctantly she'd do it. It was beginning to take a toll on her. By day 5 she was fed up and unhappy.

"God Damn!" she yelled as she walked down the pier with her friends. It was 8:00 and Tanner was texting her, as usual "If I throw my phone off the dock will you tell everyone it fell?" she asked frustrated. Her friends looked at her confused "Never mind. I have to go, I'll see y'all tomorrow"

She slowly walked down the beach toward the caves. "God, I must have horrific Karma, shit like this doesn't happen to good people. Damn, shit like this doesn't happen to bad people either, apparently it just happens to me" she thought out loud. She turned the corner to the cave they usually met at and sat on a rock outside of it "T, are you here" she called annoyed

Tanner walked out of the cave with a smile "Right on time" he said "I decided I'm sick of the sand, we're going to the house" he grabbed her hand but she pulled it away "Wow, is someone PMSing?"

"No, someone is just sick of being an object" she said smartlyas she began walking down the beach

Tanner sighed and ran up to her. He noticed that as the days went on, she had gotten grumpy and her frustrations, though not directly, were all being taken out on him. "Nice to see you're in a good mood today" he said looking at her

She rolled her eyes "Whatever" she replied

He sighed "Let's go" he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the house. He pushed her onto the couch and sat on top of her. "Now kiss me, but passionately, I want to see stars" he instructed

"And what if I don't?" she said, eyeing him. She was tired of having to do what he wanted, when he wanted her to

"Then Bradin gets the crap beaten out of him" he said, eyeing her as well "Now do it"

She sighed, closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his. He pushed at her lips with his tongue. Reluctantly she opened her mouth to him. He started attacking her, sticking his tongue deep into the depths of her mouth. She hesitated, not knowing what to do. She really didn't want to kiss him like he wanted her to, but he was already pretty pissed at her. She noticed he seemed happy doing what he was doing, so she just let him.

A few minutes later he pulled away "I thought you were supposed to be kissing me" he said annoyed

"You got there before I did, I wasn't about to stop you" she said defensively "You _seemed_ quite content"

"Well I'm not. Let's go, we going upstairs, now" he said, angrily, getting off her

"To do what?" she replied, not moving

"Whatever I want" he said, grabbing her and pulling her up. She tried to fight him, but it was no use. He pulled her upstairs and threw her onto his bed "Something's up with you, and I don't like it. You either do this willingly or I call James. I'm sick of being the bad guy here. We're either going to have sex now, or I'm calling him and making you tell him"

Mel put her head on her hand and sighed "No, we don't have to do that. I've lasted this long, I might as well not fuck it up now." She got up and kissed him softly, leaving him wanting more. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him toward her, then threw him onto the bed. She climbed on top of him and started unbuttoning his shirt. He moaned at the feeling of her warm hands against his muscular chest. He pulled her into a kiss as he slid his hand up her shit

* * *

Lucas walked by his brother's room on his way to get his surf board from him. He froze when he noticed he was all over some girl, but got a sick feeling in his stomach when he recognized her laugh. _Why the hell is Mel sleeping with Tanner, she hates him_ he thought. Unsure of what to do, he just stood there, frozen to the spot. One thing shot him back to reality. _Did I just hear him say that? _He thought. Lucas shook it off and ran off, now he had to find Bradin

* * *

"What did you just say?" Melani said, pushing Tanner off her

"I don't know. I don't know where that came from" he said, looking at her "I guess its how I feel"

"You don't get to feel that for me. I already have two guys in love with me, I don't need another one. I'm so out of here" she got up and grabbed her shirt and ran out of the room, leaving her cell phone sitting on the bed.

_Why the hell did I say that?_ Tanner thought as he got his shirt on _I can't love her, she's Mel, she's James' girlfriend, my best friend's girl. But where did that come from, I didn't know I felt that way. Shit, how does she do that?

* * *

_

Lucas ran all the way to Jay's surf shop, where he knew Bradin was working. He was totally out of breath when he got there. "Bradin" he panted "I…need…talk…to…you"

Bradin looked at him funny from behind the counter and looked at Jay. He nodded a 'go' so Bradin walked over to Lucas "What's up dude?"

Lucas took a second to catch his breath before he spoke again "When was the last time you talked to Mel?"

"Umm… like almost a week ago, 5 or 6 days. We got into a fight and she won't take any of my calls, why?" Bradin said confused

"Did the fight have anything to do with my brother?" Lucas asked

"Yeah, kinda. It was the instigation of a whole bigger problem. Why?" Now he was more confused then ever

"I was at home getting my board to wax fro tomorrow and I saw Tanner in his room all over some girl. I didn't think much of it, since he's always screwing around with someone, but I heard her laugh and it made me freeze" Bradin looked at him totally lost "Bradin, Mel was getting ready to sleep with Tanner. She was taking his shirt off him"

"Tell me you're kidding Luke. Tell me this is a joke. She wouldn't do that, she's smarter than that" Bradin said seriously. He couldn't understand why, and then it hit him "That's the price she had to pay" he said quietly

"What?" Lucas said.

"It's nothing, don't' worry about it" Bradin said _So that's why she freaked, he ripped her shirt, he keeps calling her for sex. I'll kill him _He thought

"It gets better" Lucas added. Bradin eyed him "I heard him tell her he loves her. My brother said 'I love you'! I didn't even think he knew how to do that"

"I have to go find her" he said quietly "Thanks for the update Luke. I'll talk to you later, tell you what happened" He started running out of the shop and down the beach _Hopefully now she'll talk to me _he thought _I need her now _


	28. The Proposal

Bradin ran along the beach up to Mel's house. He prayed that she was there. _God please let her be here _he thought. He walked into her room and noticed the light was off. He looked around and noticed the light was on in her bathroom. He also noticed that the door was locked from the inside _what was she doing?_ He thought as he walked to the bathroom. He knocked, but no sound came. He slowly pushed the door open, and what he saw horrified him. _That explains the locked door_ he thought as he looked at the razors sitting on the sink and the bloody cloth next to them. _Damn, I have to find her. I have to stop her before she does something stupid, or worse_ he thought as he ran out of the room. He scanned the beach for her, but she was nowhere to be found. He sighed and looked straight ahead. Luckily he saw someone on a surfboard emerging from the water. "Mel" he called, hoping it was her

She turned and saw a hazy figure walking toward her. _Shit, he's coming from my house, I know it_ she thought _this is going to be hard one to explain_ She dropped her board in the sand and pulled off her wetsuit as he came near her "Hi Brae" she said, pulling on a pair of sweatpants.

He looked at her through the moon's reflection "I don't even know where to begin with you" he said "You slept with the one person in Playa Linda I truly hate, you promised me you wouldn't cut yourself again and you did, you've been ignoring me for days. Which of these problems should we address first? I'll let you pick"

"Why does it matter to you? It's my life that's fucked up, not yours." She said, sitting on the sand facing the ocean

He sighed and sat down next to her "It does matter to me. You matter to me Mel. God, I thought you knew that! If your life is messed up, so is mine because you're my life. I know this probably means nothing, but when I saw…what I saw in your bathroom I almost burst into tears. Not because you broke a promise to me, but because you hurt yourself and I was a reason for it"

"You weren't the reason I did it Bradin" she said, looking at her left arm "I did it because…" she trailed off

"Because why Angel" he said, looking at her

"I don't know why, I just did it. And it felt good for all of 2 seconds, then I realized what I did and it made me sick. Damn, why can't life just be easy for once! Why can't I just catch a break once and a while! No, my life has to totally suck all the time, if I'm not getting beat up by my fricken boyfriend, I'm being blackmailed into sleeping with his best friend, or I'm pushing away the only person in this God damn town I actually care about! Shit, I'm better off dead"

"NO!" Bradin yelled "Don't you ever say that ever again!" he said angrily "You helped me live Mel. My life would be a mess without you. I love you! Don't ever say your life's not worth living! Trust me, it is"

"You would have survived without me Brae. Anyone could have taken my place, Erika, Jay, Lucas, Allie, anyone. I was just the person you came to. Seriously, I don't even know what I feel anymore. My life is so messed up, I just want to start all over."

"Then let's do it" he said, looking at her "Let's start all over"

"How can we do that. What, reintroduce ourselves? That's just a game people play to trick themselves away from their problems. It doesn't solve anything. I can't start over. I'll still be _his_ girlfriend, Tanner's playmate and your unfaithful lover. Its not fair to any of you"

Bradin laughed "I didn't mean something cheesy like that Mel. I meant we can start over, together… do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I understand, but how will that help me? Chances are it'll make things worse"

"Seriously, how will it make things worse, cause honey, look at yourself, can things get much worse for you?"

Melani looked deep into his eyes "are you serious. I'm not one to make decisions like this with intent of breaking if off. Once we do this, it's 'till death do us part' Bradin"

He studied her face and noticed this wasn't her heart talking, it was her emotions. He could tell she was scared of this "I know it is. I want to spend my life with you and only you." He shifted so he was on one knee "I've been saving this since we talked about an emergency wedding" He pulled out a small pink velvet box and opened it. Inside was the prettiest pink diamond surrounded by sapphires

"Bradin, where did you get the money for this? It must have cost you your life savings!" she said, gasping at the ring in the box

"I was in a couple competitions over the past few days. I made some extra money, to say the least. And I made it special just for you, so don't you dare go off on a, 'I cant except this' rant. I can't exchange or return it, so just enjoy it"

A single tear slid down her cheek "Bradin, I wouldn't dream of it" she said, smiling

"So I have to ask you, because if I don't, it's just totally informal. Melani Lawrence, will you make me the happiest person from here to Hogarth County and say you'll be my wife?"

Her smile widened "I would be honored to." He slid the ring on her finger and pulled her into a hug "I love you more than you'll ever know Bradin, more than you'll ever know"

"I think I can guess, because if it's at all what I feel for you, no one can pull us apart" He pulled her in and passionately kissed her.

She smiled, ending the kiss. She pulled away and looked at his eyes "You should have put emeralds on the ring, that way they'd remind me of your eyes"

"I put sapphires because they reminded me of your eyes, and a pink diamond because I know pink is your favorite color" He said, looking into her eyes

"So, when are we going to do this, because I can't walk around Playa Linda with this hardware on my hand and expect people not to notice" she said, smiling

"Tomorrow then, tomorrow afternoon. We can have the ceremony on the cliff overlooking the ocean" he said

"How are we going to convince my parents and your aunt? We're kids, they're not going to let us" she said looking at him

"We'll make them. Come on" He grabbed the hand that hand the ring on it and ran up to his house, towing Mel behind him "Aunt Ava, can Mel and her parents come over for breakfast tomorrow, to get into the holiday spirit?"

Nikki ran in from upstairs "Please aunt Ava!" she pleaded. She looked at Bradin, apparently the only one in the room noticing them holding hands

"Sure Bradin, we love company. How about like 9:30, is that ok?" Ava replied. "It's late, are you sure your parent aren't worried about you, it's nearly 11:30 honey"

"No, they're at a party, they won't be home until like 1" Mel replied, smiling. She noticed Nikki staring at their hands. She quickly broke away, but not fast enough for Nikki not to see the ring on her hand

"Mel, can I talk to you for a second?" she said, smiling

"Sure Nik. Thanks so much Ava, we'll be looking forward to breakfast" Ava nodded as Nikki dragged Mel upstairs. "My God, what is the red alert Nikki?"

"What is that?" she said, pointing at Mel's hand "Tell me it's what I think it is!"

"Can you keep a secret?" Nikki nodded "Bradin and I want to get married tomorrow afternoon, that's why we're having everyone together for breakfast. If they won't let us, we're going to drive to Vegas and get it done. It's my engagement ring, he made it for me"

Nikki beamed "So you're going to be my sister-in-law?" She asked happily

"If all goes well, but remember, not a word. Bradin and I have to do this our way. Honestly, I'm not sure what our way will be, but it'll be interesting. So, shhh, deal?"

"Deal" Nikki said. The two walked down the stairs "Aunt Ava, do you know tomorrow's Christmas Eve, magical things happen Christmas Eve mom used to say"

"I don't doubt it" Ava said smiling. Little did she know, things were going to happen. Big things.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys, i only have the last chapter left to write, so i have to ask you. There are 32 chapters in the story, thats 4 left. Do you want me to put them all up together, or space them out, and if so how. If you have any preferences, post them in your reviews! I hope you like it, things are going to get interesting... to say the least 


	29. Time to Tell

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter, since the review responces were pretty split, i decided to do 2 now, then 1, then the last one. I hope ya enjoy them! -Steph-

* * *

Melani woke up to the waves crashing on the shore _It's my wedding day_ was the first thing that went thought her mind _I'm marrying Bradin, Bradin Westerly, the kid I hated, the kid I wanted so much to like…Bradin. I'm marrying Bradin_ her stomach did flip-flops as she thought about it. She rolled out of bed and opened the door to the beach. She closed her eyes and took in the salty smell. She walked back into her room and opened the door to the living room "Mom, Dad? Are you awake?" she called.

"Yes honey" her mom called from the kitchen "We got your note, do you think we should bring anything to Bradin's aunt's house? I feel funny going without something"

"Don't worry about it mom I've eaten there a couple times, between she and Nikki, there'll be more food then we can handle, all like 10 of us"

Her father laughed "It'll be good to do this. Hopefully it will make their Christmas Eve better. I know they must be thinking about their parents"

Mel smiled "Today is going to be great day daddy. I promise, the Westerly family will definitely change" she said as she kissed him on the cheek "I'm going to go take a shower before we go. I'll meet you guys outside at like 9:15. I want to be early to help Ava" They both nodded as she ran back into her room, a smile still on her face

* * *

Bradin bustled around his room. He was trying to figure out what the heck he was going to say to her parents to convince them that he was in love with their daughter and that he would always love and honor her. He knew that no matter what he said, they'd absolutely freak, of course so would Ava, but he knew he had to do it. And it was going to happen whether or not they approved

Bradin looked at the clock on his desk. 9:20 _She's going to be here any minute, she's always early. Shit what am I going to tell her parents?_ He heard a knock on the back door, _Oh well, too late. God help me be good at making stuff up!_ He thought as he walked out into the living room. "Hi Mr. Lawrence, Hi Mrs. Lawrence, Hey Mel" he said as they walked in "It's good to see you again"

Mel smiled "Thanks so much for inviting us. I just love Christmas Eve, everything seems so unpredictable, right Brae?"

"Right" he said smiling too. "Need any help aunt Ava?"

"No honey, thank you though. It's all done." She introduced everyone to their family and they all sat down, Melani's mom and dad across from Melani and Bradin, between Ava and Johnny, Nikki next to Mel and Derek next to Bradin, with Susannah and Jay at each end. "To a very happy holiday season" Ava said raising her glass. They all toasted, but Bradin and Mel couldn't help smiling, yes, it would be a happy holiday.

Just as they finished, Bradin looked at Mel and she looked back at him and nodded "Aunt Ava, we have something to tell you"

Ava dropped her fork "Who's we?" she said eying her nephew

"Him and I" Mel said. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it

"Melani Michelle, tell me you're not pregnant!" her father said, glaring from her to Bradin

They both laughed "That probably would have been an easier one to explain" she said "No daddy, I'm not pregnant."

"Of course she's not pregnant Kevin, she's still a virgin!" her mother piped in

Melani laughed right out loud about that one "Keep on dreaming mom. No that's not what we wanted to talk to you about."

"Then what is it?" Ava asked "Bradin Adam Westerly, you better tell me what's going on right now, and I mean now"

"Aunt Ava, I love Melani more than I ever thought I could. And I remember my parents saying that when you meet the one for you, you know it. Aunt Ava, I know she's the one. I want to be with her all the time, I feel her presence everywhere I go, I truly love her… and I want to marry her…today"

The two teens looked their guardian's faces. Mel was sure her father was going to lunge across the table and strangle Bradin. She decided to speak up before they really got going

"Mom, Dad, I know that you always taught me to follow my instincts, and I hate to tell you this, but I haven't been. I know you loved James, but he's been absolutely horrible to me. I'm not a klutz at all mom, I'm a cheerleader, I can't afford to be. All the bumps and bruises aren't from me…" she trailed off. Bradin squeezed her hand, giving her strength "That's not the thing though. I've been horrible. I've been cheating on him for months… with Bradin. Mom, I know that you know I never use the word love, because I never thought I knew what it meant. But when I'm with him, I feel something so indescribable, something that all I can think of is use that word to describe it. Mom, Dad, I'm in love with Bradin, and I want to marry him. I want to be his bride, his wife"

Melani's parents sat in awe. No one knew what to say. The whole house was silent, the only sound was the crashing of waves outside. "You have to say something" Bradin said, looking at the three parent figures

"I think they should do it" Derek said, causing Mel and Bradin to laugh

"Thanks Derek; that means a lot to me" Mel said, smiling "Mom, Dad, Ms. Gregory? Say something… anything…" she said

Again no one said anything, so Bradin spoke up "Listen, we want to get married today, and we're going to do it with or without your approval. We want to get married here in Playa Linda, on a cliff that overlooks the ocean, the one by Lookout Point, but we need our guardian's to sign the forms. If you do that, we can call our friends and get married here. OR if you don't support us, we're going to get in her car and drive to Vegas where we don't need your permission, and get it by ourselves. We want you all there, but we can deal with it just being us" he looked at all of them as Mel nodded. Again silence filled the room

"Honey, is this what you want?" Ava said, looking at Bradin

He nodded "Yea, it really is. She's makes me feel alive; she's the only thing that has since my parent died. I really do love her aunt Ava"

"God, your mother would kill me for this, but, if this is truly what you want, then I support you Bradin" she said

Melani looked at her parents. She could tell her mom understood, but her dad was still up there "Daddy, he'll be good to me. I love him more than anything, more than surfing, more than the ocean, more than Kansas. I. Love. Him. and I want to be with him. Please daddy, please tell me you'll support me. Let me love him"

Her father looked at the sincerity in his daughters eyes. "Melani, I told you when you were very little that if you cared about something enough, then you could do anything you put your mind to. If you care about him enough to marry him, then yes, I will support you"

Melani got up and ran over to her dad and hugged him "And you mom?" Her mother nodded in approval and she hugged them

Ava smiled "Now, Jay, Johnny, Kevin, and Derek take Bradin out of here. It's bad luck to see your Bride on the day of the wedding. I'm sure the dress I was designing will fit you perfectly. And I want all of you in suits, there is no way I'm going to let you have an informal wedding!"

Ava, Nikki and Laura soon were all over the guys, telling them what to do, they didn't notice Mel and Bradin slip outside

"wow, this is going to be insane. What's your plan angel?" Bradin asked

"I'm going to call everyone and tell them to dress up and meet us at Lookout Point. Then, like right before the ceremony, I'll call and break it off with James. Any more time and he might show up. And Tanner can't know. Do you want to tell Lucas or should I?

"I'll call him. I want him to be my best man. Listen, have Kelli call everyone, so you don't have to worry about it. Then go get ready, I'll call the Justice of the Peace and have him meet us there at 4:30. Sound good?

"Sounds awesome. This really is going to be a magical holiday season, huh?" She winked at him and ran into the house just as the girls were shooing the guys out

"Ok, so you need a dress, a veil, shoes, what else?" her mother said

"She needs something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue too" Ava chimed in

"Wow, head spinning" Mel said "I need to call someone first. Do you think you can get me those things while I do that?" The all nodded and ran off.

Mel sighed and hit speed dial 2 on her phone, which she had retrieved from Tanner's house while he wasn't home. "Hello?" the voice rang out

"Hey it's me, do you have like 5 minutes to talk to me?" Mel asked

"Duh. Plus, Luke is on the phone with Bradin. What's up?"

"Ya know how we always said that we'd be maids of honor at each other's wedding?" Mel started

"Of course, we've been saying it since we were in like 7th grade. Why?"

"Do you think your homecoming dress would make a good maid of honor dress, I mean, we could go out and get one now, but that would take sooo much time and I don't think we have that much, but I guess…" she said

"Hold on, back up and freeze!" Kelli interrupted "Melani, what are you talking about? Why would I have to wear my homecoming dress to your wedding, and why would we need to buy me a dress now? I'm sooo confused Mel"

"Kel, Bradin and I are getting married…this afternoon. That's why he was calling Lucas. He wants him to be his best man and I want you to be my maid of honor"

There was silence on the other line for a good 2 minutes. Finally Kelli spoke "Mel, for the record, I think you're insane getting married at 16, but if you want to, all the more power to you. Next, I would be honored to stand up there with you two. And third, what can I do?"

Mel laughed "First off, I'm not insane. Secondly, you better be there with me. Third, can you call everyone who you know knows about us and think might want to come and tell them to meet us at Lookout Point dressed up at 4:15. The ceremony is at 4:45"

"Will do. I'll come over when I'm done."

"Ok, I'm at Bradin's house because Ava insisted on me wearing one of her new wedding dresses she's designing. Thanks a million Kel. I'll see you later" She smiled as she hung up the phone and walked into the house. _And so the day begins_ she thought as she ran up to Ava's studio, _and it's going to be a great one._


	30. Because You Live

A/N: Ok, only 2 more after this one :-p! Ok, just a disclaimer, the song Because You Live is in this chapter, and obviously I don't own it, it's all Jesse's. But I do totally love it, so I had to use it!

* * *

Bradin stood at Lookout Point at 4:30 in a tux, Lucas next to him. All their friends were there all dressed up. Kelli had seen to it that there were chairs set up with an isle marked by a white satin strip, leading up to a white arch covered with pink roses. She walked up to Lucas and gave him a kiss and smiled at Bradin "Not bad for being done in an hour. I had to pay the decorators double, but it'll be worth it. As long as you're happy, it will be worth every penny"

Bradin smiled "I love it, and she will too. Thanks Kelli" He leaned over and hugged her. "This means a lot to me that you two are here with us"

Lucas smiled "You two deserve to be happy, for once. We should get ready Brae." He signaled to the boys.

Kelli nodded "It's almost time. I should make sure she's ready. See you down there" she hugged them both, then ran up the hill to where the girls were hiding Melani. "Mel, everyone's here. It's time to do it. Are you ready?"

Melani smiled "I just need to do one thing, then I'll be so ready" she picked up her phone and walked away from everyone. She took a deep breath and hit speed dial #3

"Hey Baby" the voice on the other end said

"Hi J." she said quietly

"Oh no, I don't like the sound of that. What's wrong baby?" he said

"We need to talk. And I know that its cowardly to do this over the phone, but frankly I'm kinda afraid to do it to your face" she started

"What are you saying Mel" he said seriously

"I want to break up. I'm sick of being your object, I'm sick of living by your rules and I'm sick of being your punching bag. I'm a human being and I can't stand this anymore. I'm sick of feeling unloved. I'm sorry James, we're done"

Silence filled the other end of the phone. She could tell he was shocked "I'm coming home. We can talk about this, we can get through this. We're not over Mel. I love you"

"Don't bother coming home, I'm not going to take you back. It's _over_ James, and I mean it. It's not worth all the shit I go through to be with you. It's just not worth it. We're over, so don't cut your vacation short to come back and have me avoid you. It'll ruin both of our vacations. Plus, I found someone who can make me happy _and_ love me, and I love him. I choose him. I'm sorry James, its over for us." and with that, she hung up the phone and walked back over to the girls

"I'm ready." She said smiling, "all the loose ends have been tied. I'm truly ready"

"Then I'll go get your father and we can do it" Her mother said hugging her. "I'm so proud of you honey, you're going to be a great wife"

Mel smiled "Thanks mom. Thanks for supporting me. I love you" He mother nodded and they all began walking down the hill. The last thing Mel did was hug Kelli "Thanks so much for being here with me. You have no idea how much it means to me"

Kelli smiled "Yes I do" she said as she lifted the veil over her face "Now come on, we can't leave them down there"

* * *

Bradin stood on their make-shift altar next to Lucas, Johnny, Jay, Kevin and Derek. He to himself as Kelli's little sister threw rose petals onto the white walkway. He looked up and saw Nikki walk down, then Susannah, then Laura, then Kelli. The song _Here Comes the Bride _played and everyone stood up. A smile spread across his face as he saw Melani walk down the isle with her father. The dress was a snow white with gorgeous diamond-like beads along the neckline. Her veil was the lightest blue he had ever seen, but absolutely gorgeous. He smiled as she hugged her father and he lifted the veil off her face. She smiled at Bradin

"Ready Angel?" he whispered as he took her hand

"Absolutely" she whispered back as they walked up to the altar.

* * *

Everyone enjoyed the wedding, but everyone was looking forward to the vows. There was tears and laughter, but suddenly everyone got silent. This was the best part Derek had said before.

The Justice of the Peace looked at Bradin "Do you Bradin Adam Westerly take Melani Michelle Lawrence to be your wife – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

Bradin looked deep into Mel's eyes "I do" He said, causing her to smile

"Do you Melani Michelle Lawrence take Bradin Adam Westerly to be your husband – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

Melani smiled wider "I definitely do"

The two heard tears behind them. They administered the rings and finally the Justice said "And so, by the power vested in me by the State of California I now pronounce you man and wife –You may now kiss the bride."

Bradin leaned in and quickly kissed Mel while everyone cheered "I love you" he said as he grabbed her hand

"I love you too honey" she said as they walked down the isle. Everyone poured out after them and they were showered with hugs and kissed. Somewhere in the mess, Ava said since there was no rehearsal dinner, the party could be at their house on the beach. Everyone laughed as Bradin picked up Mel and carried her off to the car and yelled 'we'll meet you there' as he sped away.

* * *

The party was in full-swing back on the beach. Everyone was drinking, even though all the adults were aware the kids were underage, and everyone was in a good mood. They had set up music, everyone was dancing, laughing and eating, just having fun.

Bradin whispered something to Jay, who was doing the music and he nodded. Bradin then walked over to Mel, who was sitting down at a table drinking water "Angel, come here, I want to show you something"

Mel looked at him curiously, but took his hand and followed him down the beach. They arrived at the small cove they met at when they first started dating "I love it here" she said, smiling

"I have a surprise for you" he said. He pulled out a guitar from the cove "When I first got here, I told Kelli that I love to write songs and sing, but I never told you" she nodded "Well, last night, I couldn't sleep because all I could do was think about you. So I wrote about it. Do you want to hear what I came up with?"

Melani smiled "Of course I want to hear it. I'm honored you'd write something about me." She kissed him as he started to play

_Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart  
It's the end of the world in my mind  
Then your voice pulls me back like a wake up call  
I've been looking for the answer  
Somewhere  
I couldn't see that it was right there  
But now I know what I didn't know _

Because you live and breathe  
Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help  
Because you live, girl  
My world has twice as many stars in the sky

It's alright, I survived, I'm alive again  
Cuz of you, made it through every storm  
What is life, what's the use if you're killing time  
I'm so glad I found an angel  
Someone  
Who was there when all my hopes fell  
I wanna fly, looking in your eyes

Because you live and breathe  
Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help  
Because you live, girl  
My world has twice as many stars in the sky  
Because you live, I live

Because you live there's a reason why  
I carry on when I lose the fight  
I want to give what you've given me always

Because you live and breathe  
Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help  
Because you live, girl  
My world has twice as many stars in the sky

Because you live and breathe  
Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help  
Because you live, girl  
My world has everything I need to survive  
Because you live, I live, I live

Bradin stopped playing and looked at Mel. There were tears streaming down her face and tears in her eyes "You wrote that about _me_?" she said

"Yeah, it's what I feel, what I felt and what I hope to feel all my life. I love you Angel. More than life itself. If anything happened to you, I don't know if I could go on"

"You would go on honey, because you'd need to, for my parents, for your parents, and for everyone I care about. Plus, I'd be there helping you. Even if something were to happen to me, my spirit would be with you always. Just remember that." She smiled as she cuddled into him as they fell asleep all dressed up in the cave they claimed their own.


	31. What's Normal?

The next few days were heaven on earth. The now united family spent Christmas together, opening presents, having dinner, just being one big family. Everyone could tell that Melani and Bradin were truly happy, like they were finally complete. The aults decided that it wasn't fair to let them live in different houses, despite the fact they all were uncomfortable about them sleeping together. They came to a compromise that they could stay in the boathouse, and Jay could stay in Bradin 's old room, that way, there were parents all around them, but they could still be independent

* * *

The two walked along the beach the last Friday before school started again, hand in hand, laughing, the sun reflecting off the diamond in her ring "Bradin, I love you more than life itself"

"And I love you. You make me so happy, I just can't put it into words. My life is so complete with you" he said, leaning over and kissing her.

"Mine is with you too. I could die right now and be totally happy. The only bad thing would be leaving you"

"Please don't, I'd be horribly depressed if you did" he said laughing.

"I'll try not to." She said laughing and kissed him. He laughed too and picked her up carrying her to the boathouse and closing the door behind them

* * *

Lucas walked into his house after surfing. He walked into the kitchen to grab something to eat when I heard a voice say "How long have you known"

Lucas rolled his eyes "I'm not in the mood for you shit right now Tanner, what the hell are you talking about"

"How long have you known about my bitch of a girlfriend" He heard James say

Lucas turned around and saw the two of them standing behind him "How long have I know that she was with Bradin, or how long have they been together?"

"Both" he said, obviously in a bad mood

"Well, I've known since the day before homecoming, which was in October, but they've been seeing each other since the first day of school. And honestly, I'm glad she dumped your sorry ass, you don't deserve her. She went through so much shit with you, I'm glad she's happy with Bradin. They're perfect together"

Fire glared in James' eyes "That little whore." He said angrily

"Whatever. They're happy, they make the perfect couple, and the wedding was amazing" Lucas said walking away. James grabbed his arm, and for the first time Lucas realized how strong he really was

"Wedding? What the fuck, they got married? That's such bullshit" he said angrily "This crosses a line. I'm going to get her back, and you're going to help us Lucas"

"Keep telling yourself that" he said as he walked past him, but he froze as he heard a click behind him. He turned around to see James holding a gun to him "What are you doing" he said, trying to sound calm

"You're going to help us Lucas" he repeated "I'm going to get her back, whether it kills me, her or someone else, I'm going to get her back"

* * *

Melani walked with Kelli along the beach later that afternoon. They stopped outside her house and sat on the lawn chairs. "So, are you happy Mel, cause you seem happy" Kelli said

"I really am" she said, unaware Tanner and James were listening, gun to Lucas' head "I love him more than anything. I can't believe I actually married him though. That's what makes me laugh. I'm married at 16. But when you think about it, we're more in love than some people who have been married for years. I really am happy Kel, and I'm totally in love with him"

Kelli smiled "More than you were, because you were happy with him before"

"Before I always had to worry about getting caught, and don't get me wrong, I mean I feel horrible about what I did to James, leading him on the way I did, but now he's gone and I can sleep at night. I'm not afraid anymore, not scared of him hitting me, him hurting me. Not that I don't think that he's going to kick Bradin's ass on Monday, but he told me that's his problem not mine, so I'll worry about it Sunday, now I just want to be his wife"

"The way I should be" Kelli said "Listen, I gotta go. You alright alone?"

"Yeah, I'll head home to see him in a little while. I just want to relax, and I can't with him fawning over me. Go, I'll call you later." They hugged, then Kelli walked down the beach. Mel put her head back and closed her eyes. She heard someone calling her names, which caused her to jump. She shaded her eyes to see Lucas calling her from his kitechen window "Hey Luke" she called

Lucas swallowed hard. The gun was at his back so Mel couldn't see it, but he could feel it against his spine "You wanna come up here and get your purse, you left it here the other day and I kept forgetting to bring it to your new house" he called

Mel smiled "Sure, I'll be up in like 2 secs, k?" she called back

"Ok" he replied, but in his head he screamed _No, No don't, go back to Bradin. Let him keep you safe _

Mel smiled as she walked in the backdoor of Lucas' house. "Luke?" she called "Ok, I saw you like a minute ago, I know you're here" she said laughing

"I'm right here, breathe" he said, leaning against a doorway. He was trying to act cool because James had said one wrong move and he was as good as gone

"So where is my purse? That's a girl's lifeline you know" she said, smiling.

"It's right here" she heard a voice say that caused her blood to run cold. She turned to see James standing at the outside doorway "Nice to see you" he said smiling wickedly

"I know that smile" she said, her hands starting to shake "What's going on? Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see my best friend and his brother. And you" he said, still smiling

"Well, I'll get out of your way, just give me my purse and I'll go. I have to meet my _husband_ at the pier in like 5 minutes"

James laughed "You and Farm Boy huh? Not going to say I didn't see it coming, I should have just gotten rid of him before."

"You won't touch him. I love him James. I'm not going to let you hurt him. I'm sick of you hurting the people I care about. I'm done with you, now give me my purse." She said strictly

"Um, no" he said "Because I'm not letting you off that easy. We're getting back together"

"Hell no we're not" she said angrily "I'm married, you're not going to hurt me anymore. I'm done with you"

"Fine" James said still smiling "Then I'll hurt Lucas" She turned around and saw Lucas with a gun to his head. "Tanner and I decided we don't like what happened, so you're getting out of it. You're going to be with me, no one else"

Mel looked at Lucas "You would seriously shoot your own brother. You're blood." She said to Tanner

"Wanna find out?" He said, walking toward James, gun still at Lucas' head. When he got there, he handed the gun to James "No, I could never do it, but he would. He's pissed"

"Really? Is he pissed that you blackmailed me too? I mean because I'm sure you told him right?"

James looked at her funny "What the hell are you talking about?"

"He knew. He caught me and Bradin the night you left for Cabo San Lucas, and did he call and tell you? NO. You want to know what he did. He blackmailed me into sleeping with him EVERY SINGLE DAY. That's your best friend J, he slept with your girlfriend"

James, now totally confused, was pissed "I don't believe you" he said

"Good, because I didn't. She's just a slut"

"Wanna read the texts on my phone, I have them all saved" she said "See, everyone's known, Luke, Kelli, Allie, Jason, Erik, Chris, Cassi, Laurie, everyone, we just all decided it was better to let you believe you had me, when in reality, you lost me years ago"

"NO I DIDN'T" He yelled his hand starting to shake "NO I DIDN'T"

Mel took a deep breath "Give me the gun J. I don't want you to do anything stupid." She held out her hand to him "Just give it to me…please"

"NO!" he yelled "One of you is lying, and whichever one it is has a bullet with their name on it. I'm calling the shots now." He said pissed

"J, if you love me like you say you do, then give me that gun. You're not going to get anything from shooting anyone. Give it to me" Mel said, her voice shaking

"Oh, what now Mel. You scared of me? Why now, apparently you've been afraid of me for months, years maybe, why are you standing up to me now? Because I might do something stupid?"

"No, because I don't want you to hurt Lucas. He's done nothing, why don't you just let him go?" She said, her eyes falling into his

"Because now he knows. He's served his purpose, I could just get rid of him now. Maybe I should" he said smirking. Lucas looked at Mel pleadingly

"J don't joke like that. You're not going to shoot anyone. Especially not Luke, he's done nothing, the one you have a problem with is me, so leave him alone and deal with me. Shoot me"

James glared at her "It would be better to get rid of him, that way you'd have his death on your conscience all your life. It would be worse"

"Yeah, but Tanner would hate you, and so would I. You'd get nowhere. Let him go and face me. It's between you and me, let's just end it"

James looked at Lucas, the scared look in his eyes. He pushed him out of the way and walked toward Mel. "Happy? No more innocent victim. Now it's just you and me"

"Then shoot me. I mean, that's why you have it right. Honestly, I don't think you have the guts to shoot me. You know that if you killed me, it would haunt you for the rest of your life"

James stared at her "I could do it, don't tempt me to. I don't want to, I just want it to go back to normal. I just want to be with you"

"Well that's a nice fantasy on your part, for me it's a nightmare. I'm married now, and I'm in love with my husband. Get over me and get your head out of the sand. We're over. You pulled this whole stunt for nothing, so unless you're going to take that gun and kill me, we all wasted our time" she said, trying to sound brave

"No, we're not over." He grabbed her arm "Not until I say we are" She took this as an opportunity and grabbed the gun. The two fought over it for a while. Tanner ran over to help James and Lucas ran over to help Mel. The four fought and fought until suddenly there was a loud BANG.

* * *

Bradin waited by the pier, beginning to get worried. Mel wouldn't answer her cell, she wasn't there, and no one had seen her. He paced back and forth waiting for her. Suddenly his phone rang. He looked wearily as the Caller ID was blocked "Hello?" he said

"Mr. Westerly?" a manly voice said

"Yes, that's me" Bradin said "Who is this?"

"This is Dr. Andrews from the Playa Linda Hospital. There's been a terrible accident, you need to come here as soon as possible. Your wife was involved"…


	32. Never Gone

A/N: Ooooo, it's the last chapter! And I used Because you Live again, and I still don't own it. And just a warning, I kinda cried writing this chapter, so it might be kinda sad. :'( :-/

* * *

Bradin sped all the way to the hospital. He ran in the emergency room, sprinting up to the desk "I'm looking for Dr. Andrews, it's about my wife" he said frantically 

The girl looked at him "Wife? Um, ok. He's right over there. Dr. Andrews, this boy is here to see you"

A man in a white coat walked over to them "Mr. Westerly I presume?"

Bradin nodded "What happened, is she ok? Can I see her?" he said, voice cracking

Dr. Andrews led him over to a private area of the Emergency Room "Mr. Westerly, your wife was shot in the stomach. The bullet is in such a complicated place, if we operate, her life will most definitely end in surgery. The bullet will kill her without the surgery. She has a 0 percentchance of living. I'm so sorry. The thing is, she's totally normal. She can walk and talk, she just has the bullet in her. She'll be able to do things, but just know, when it happens, she's going to be in a lot of pain."

Bradin looked at the doctor "Is there anything we can do, anything at all"

The doctor shook his head "I'm sorry, this is fatal. We can't stop the bullet from puncturing her stomach, and if we operated, she would just die faster. She has at most 3 hours left. Here, I'll let you see her"

He led Bradin down a hall and into a room. Mel was sitting on the table, a nurse putting a bandage under where there was blood on her shirt. She smiled weakly at Bradin "Can we go home Brae, I don't want to be here anymore"

Bradin looked at the doctor "We can't do anything more here. If she would rather be there than here, then it's her choice"

"Sure Angel, we can go home" he walked over to her and picked her up. She grabbed her side and winced in pain "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

She shook her head "It just hurts" she whispered as she clung to him "I just don't want to be here, I don't want my last memory to be in a hospital." He saw the tears and fear in her eyes.

"Ok Angel, ok" He carefully placed her in his car and drove her toher house "What do you want me to do? I can't stand to see you like this"

She smiled again "I know, and I don't want you to watch me die in front of your eyes. Leave me here and go to your family." She kissed him on the cheek

"There's no way I'm going to leave you. I want to spend every last second with you. I can't believe this is happening. I don't want to loose you, I've barely had you. Who did this to you, who?"

A tear went down her face "It was an accident, he didn't mean to do it." She said as he carried her into the house and lay her on the couch "My parents are away for a gala thingy, and I don't want to burden your family. Seriously, I don't want you to watch me die, please go do something else"

"Hell no" Bradin said looking into her eyes "I'm going to stay here with you. I just wish I could change places with you, make it happen to me not you" he sat at the edge of the couch and played with her hair

"Don't you even say that! Your brother and sister have been through enough, I would never want them to go through loosing you" she moved, but winced with the pain shooting up her side "Come sit with me" He sat down and wrapped his arms around her, knowing that this time, when he lets go, she might leave him "I want you to be happy that we got to spend so much time together" she said, wiping a tear away "You made my life worth living, I love you more than I love anything in my whole life"

A tear slipped down his cheek "I've had you so little, but I love you so much. Man, this isn't fair at all." He pulled her close, but felt her shake again "I wish I could do something about the pain"

"According to Dr. Andrews, this is nothing. He said its going to feel like I'm getting stabbed by the time I die. Die, wow, 16 and talking about my death. How sad it that" she said, voice shaking

Bradin held her tighter "Its only sad because its happening." He kissed her "It's ok to cry. I know this must be really scary"

She wiped a tear away and winced in pain "I'm not scared of dying Bradin, I believe that we go somewhere better when we die. I'm just sad about all the things I'll never get to see or do, how I'll never get to go to Law School, how I'll never get to go to college, how I'll never wake up next to you again. How I never got to go to Disney World in Florida, or how I never got to see 3 Doors Down in concert like I always wanted to, just stuff like that. Especially not being able to spend the next 60 years with you." She started to cry now, tears pouring down her face, soaking his shirt. He tried to be strong for her by rubbing her back and kissing her head, but he felt tears of his own burning his own eyes. She looked at him and smiled "The crying thing goes both ways Brae." She said

He smiled and pulled her in tighter "I need to be strong" he said, voice shaking "You need someone to count on"

She shook her head "No, I need someone to cry with. I don't want to die Brae, I really don't" she said. He nodded and the two cried together

After it felt like she could cry no more, she snuggled into Bradin's chest "Brae Baby?" she said quietly, not sure he had heard her

"Yea Angel?" he said, holding her tight

"Can we go to the beach and lie there. I love the sound of the ocean. Better yet, will you let me lie on the beach and will you surf, I love watching you surf"

Bradin smiled "We can do whatever you want Angel"

She sat up and he got up then made a move to pick her up "I can walk you know, I'm not disabled, I'm just dying, there's a difference" she said laughing, trying to lighten the mood

"Not funny Mel" he said, allowing her to get up and walk on her own "I don't want to surf, I want to stay with you" he said, holding her tight

"Honey, I still have like 2 hours, watching you surf for one of them will do me a world of good, plus, I need to sort out my thoughts alone. Please baby, I love watching you surf. It makes me happy" she grabbed her side as sat on the sand, wincing in pain

Bradin cradled her in his arms "If you want me to, I will" he leaned over and kissed her on the head "30 minutes, that's it though. I want to be with you"

She smiled "Go, I'll be fine. I'll call you if I need you" she kissed his cheek and watched him run and get his board.

The time past quickly, but steadily the pain started to get to Mel. She screeched in pain just a Bradin was getting out of the water. He ran over to her, still dripping wet "Braaadin!" she screeched as he held her "YOU GOT ME ALL WET!"

"You were screaming, I panicked!" he said, laughing "Leave it to you to freak about getting wet when you're…" he trailed off. He couldn't say it, it hurt too much

"I try to keep things funny. But seriously, if you can't even say that I'm dying, how are you going to be able to except it whenit happens, which fyi is going to happen soon, I can feel it." she leaned her head against his chest

"I don't know baby, I just hope that if I don't say it, somehow it won't happen, even though I know that's just a dream" he sighed "Damn it, why the fuck is this happening?" he pulled her in close

"Because it's my time to go, that's why. At least it's happening this way, I could be comatose in a hospital bed, at least this way I can walk and talk and kiss you." She leaned in and kissed him. She leaned into him and let him hold her. She breathed in his familiar scent, the Polo Sport she had bought him for Christmas. She closed her eyes and sighed "I wouldn't mind dying right like this right now. I'm truly happy now"

Bradin held her closer "We can stay like this as long as you want Angel" he said, feeling a tear slide down his cheek and hit Mel on the shoulder "Sorry" he whispered

She sniffled "Don't be" she turned around and kissed him, her tongue brushing against his. She pulled away as she grabbed her side "Ow, Ow Bradin its hurts. OW" she screeched, bending over.

He started to panic, not knowing what to do "Angel, what can I do? Tell me so I can help you" he said, scared

"You can't…do…anything" she said, still holding her side "Oh it hurts soo bad Brae" she cried, tears starting to pour out of her eyes "I can't stand it. OW" she screeched

Bradin held her tight and let her cry "It's happening isn't it?" he ask, sniffing, trying not to cry himself

Mel nodded as she started to breathe heavily "It…is…Damn…hurts…so bad" she said panting for air, tears free-falling down her face "Brae…Hold…Me" she spit out

"Anything Angel" he said, his voice cracking and held her tightly in his arms

Mel took a deep breath "Bradin, take my hand…And I'm going to…squeeze it…I want you to sing…And when you feel…Me get heavy and…Let go of your hand…You'll know I'm…Gone" she grabbed his hand and held it tightly. He began to sing the song he wrote for her "_Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart, It's the end of the world in my mind, Then your voice pulls me back like a wake up call" _He heard her breathing get more frantic and quick. Tears starting pouring down his cheeks

"Please…Don't…Stop…Singing…Brae" she panted

He sniffed and continued "_I've been looking for the answer, Somewhere, I couldn't see that it was right there, But now I know what I didn't know"_ He felt her squeeze his hand tighter and tighter

"I love you…please…remember…that…don't…ever…forget" she panted, voice shaking, fear very evident, still crying

"I won't Angel, I promise, I'll never ever forget" he said, his voice shaking too "I love you too, don't you ever forget it either"

"I…won't…Brae…Keep…Singing…I want…My Last…memory…to be of…you …loving me…holding and…singing to…me" She squeezed his hand and lay into his chest "I Love You" she whispered again, running out of breath quickly. She kissed him quickly, "I Love You"

"_Because you live and breathe, Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help, Because you live, girl, My world has twice as many stars in the sky"_ He felt her breaths grow slower and more spaced out until he couldn't hear it anymore. Almost simultaneously, her grip on his hand stop. _"Because you girl, my world has everything I need to survive"_ He said, and broke down right there, her dead body in his arms

* * *

A few days had gone my since Mel's funeral, and Bradin was a complete and total wreck. He didn't do anything, he didn't eat, he didn't sleep, he didn't surf, everything seemed so pointless in his opinion. He just couldn't stand life without her anymore. 

He got up early one morning and grabbed his board _It's not worth it, it's not worth being here without her_ he thought as he ran down the beach toward an area surrounded by rocks and a reef. He paddled out and saw the perfect wave. _Now at least I can be with her, not without her _he thought. Just as he was about steer toward the rocks, he heard a voice "Bradin Adam Westerly what the fuck are you doing?" He turned around to see Mel standing on the back of his board, a white glow around her

"Angel? Melani is that you?" he whispered

"Yes it's me you moron! What the fuck are you doing? Your family has gone through enough, don't you dare even think about what you're doing!" she said

"Mel, what are you doing here? How are you here? And why can't I just go up there with you?"

Melani sighed "I'm here because your parents wanted me to stop you from doing this. How I'm here, I asked the big guy if I could stop you from making a huge mistake because it was my fault and he said I could, but I can't be here much longer. And you can't come up with me, it's not your time. It was my time and I went. Bradin, I watch you from up there everyday. I eat with your parents, we talk about how you and Nikki and Derek are doing, it's not bad at all. BUT you aren't supposed to be up there yet. Do you understand?"

Bradin looked into her blue eyes "I understand, its just so hard being here without you" he said "Wait, why am I not moving?"

"He can stop time. So no one sees me but you. Back to the topic at hand. First of all, you need to stop moping. I know it hurt you to loose me, I can see it from Heaven, but you need to get back to normal. Secondly, if I hear you listening to that song View from Heaven by Yellowcard again, I might just have to send an electric shock on you. Got it?"

Bradin laughed "Deal. I really miss you Mel, know I do"

"I know Brae Baby, I know. Listen, I'll always be with you. Watch." She kissed her hand a blew on it. A warm breeze hit Bradin's face with a warm wet feeling "See, you'll be able to know when I'm thinking of you. When ever you feel that, just know its me saying I Love You"

"I'll always remember" he said smiling

"Good" she said smiling "Listen I have to go, my time down here is up. Just remember as long as I'm in your heart, I'll always be with you. I'll always be watching over you Bradin. Remember, I'm your angel"

"I love you Angel" he said "I always will"

"I love you too Brae Baby. I'm going to make it so you fall right near the shore. And don't you pull another stunt like this, because I wont be able to stop you again. Remember Bradin, I'll always be with you, I'm never going to leave you"

He nodded "You'll always be in my heart Angel"

She smiled as she started floating up "remember Bradin, I'm never gone"

_Never Gone_ he thought as he hit the water _She'll never be gone as long as I live

* * *

_

A/N: So that's the story. I hope you all enjoyed it. Sorry for the people who said they want a sequel, unless I can write one about Bradin's life after Mel, I kinda can't write one. As always, THANKS A MILLION to everyone who reviewed. Seriously, they make my day. And for everyone who reads my other ones, I'll be updating them soon, sorry for the delay. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope it didn't make you tooo sad! 143 Steph


	33. Epilogue

Epilogue

It's been almost a year since Melani's death. Bradin has kept her close to his heart, but excepted that he needs to move on and be with someone else. He's fell for this new girl, a totally 360 of Mel, named Lauren. He really cares about her, but is unsure if he can trust love like he used to…

Bradin walked into the house holding Lauren's hand and noticed his aunt watching the news attentively "Hey Aunt Ava, anything good on the news?" he asked

"Bradin honey, they found Lucas" Ava said, looking at her nephew

Bradin dropped Lauren's hand. Ever since the day of the 'accident' Tanner, James and Lucas had been on the run. Lucas had called Kelli once to tell her he loved her and that Tanner and James were making him come with him, and that he didn't do it. "Where is he?" Bradin asked

"They found him in New Mexico, apparently he managed to slip Tanner and James and called the cops himself. They said he'll be in Playa Linda within the hour" Ava responded

"Do you think they'll let me see him, I mean, he's a fugitive, but it was against his will, and he might hold the missing piece to what happened to Mel" Bradin asked.

"I'm sure you could ask honey" Ava said "How are you Lauren, I haven't seen you in a while"

Lauren forced a smile "I'm good, thanks Ms. Gregory" Ava smiled too, she knew it hurt Lauren to hear about Mel because she never thought she could live up to her "Listen Brae, I'm going to head home. Call me later and tell me if you got what you wanted" she kissed him then walked away, head down

Bradin sighed "I can't help it Aunt Ava" he said plopping down the couch "I want to get over her, because that's what she'd want me to do, but its so hard, and I know every time I bring it up, it hurts Laur, but I just can't help it. I wish she would tell me something to do"

Ava walked over to her nephew "Go see Lucas, tie up all the loose ends, then go see Lauren, Melani would want you to be happy, to move on. She said she'd always look over you, and she will, just like your parents. Go" she hugged him and watched him go out the door _Hopefully he'll be able to move on now _she thought

* * *

Bradin walked into the jail. It pained him to think of his best friend in this horrible "I'm Bradin Westerly, I talked to someone on the phone who said I could see Lucas Ryan" he told that attendant

"Westerly? You're the husband of Melani Westerly, right?" Bradin nodded "Why would you want to see someone connected to your wife's murder?" the attendant asked

"Because he's my best friend, and he was her best friend, and I honestly believe he didn't do it. Can I see him?" Bradin responded

"Sure, right this way." The attendant brought him into a examination room. Bradin's heart dropped as he saw them bring Lucas in, handcuffed. "You have 30 minutes" the guard said.

Bradin nodded as they left "Luke, are you ok? What happened!"

Lucas looked at Bradin "I'm fine, I just couldn't stand being with them anymore, I had to get away. How's Mel, I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since that day" Bradin looked down, it was apparent Lucas didn't know about Mel's death "Dude, what's up, where is she?"

Bradin took a deep breath "Luke, she died. The bullet punctured her stomach. She died less than 3 hours after she was rushed to the hospital"

Lucas froze "No, no way, she can't be dead! NO!" he yelled

Bradin looked at the pain in his eyes "Luke, who fired the gun?"

Lucas took a deep breath "It's hard to tell. The 4 of us were fighting over it. All I know is I didn't, my hands were on the front, not near the trigger. It must have been either Tanner or James"

"That's what I thought. Listen, are you able to get out?"

Lucas nodded "My parents have to pay my bail, then I can get out. When I do, will you take me to her grave? I don't think I'll believe it until I see it" Bradin nodded "Dude, I'm so sorry, I never wanted anything to happen to her, I loved her like a sister"

Bradin smiled "I know. I have to go, I'll see you later" Bradin got up and left the room, unable to see his friend be chained up again like a criminal.

* * *

Bradin drove into the cemetery, Lucas in the seat next to him. He drove near her grave and parked the car "It's over here" Bradin lead him to a tombstone with angel wings engraved on it. Under it said 'Protect Me, Angel'

Lucas looked at the stone and broke down. The two guys stood there, unable to put into words how they felt. When Lucas stopped crying he looked at Bradin "I'm sure she would have like it here, it overlooks the ocean and she loved the ocean"

Bradin nodded "She's always with us Luke. She'll be our guardian angel, we just need to let her" Lucas nodded "Come on" the two walked to the car and drove away as the sun set on the horizon

Bradin walked along the beach later that night. He couldn't decided what to do about Lauren. He truly cared about her, but he knew she would always feel inferior to Melani, and that killed him. He sat on the sand and looked at the moon reflecting on the water. "Mel? Mel if you're there I need some help. I want to be with Lauren, I know that you want me to be happy, and I don't think I can be if I'm alone. I need a sign, something to tell me that you understand, something telling me what to do. Please Angel, please help me"

He sighed, this was pointless, even for him. He began to get up when a warm breeze swept across him. The wind seemed to be whispering 'Go.' "Angel, is that you? Do you want me to go see her?" he asked. The wind blew again, again the same voice whispered 'Go.' Bradin nodded "Thanks Angel" he stood up as he felt the warm breeze once more, then something warms and wet on his cheek. "I love you too, I always will" he smiled, then made his way back down the beach toward Lauren's house

* * *

A/N: Ok, so I know I said the last chapter was the end, but I lied. ALSO, due to all of your, umm interesting reviews, I have a proposal to all of you who didn't like the ending. If I get enough reviews telling me to, I'll make a new alternate ending in which she doesn't die, and continue the story for a few more chapters. So, tell me whether you like it the way it is, or you want a different one!

**THANKS:** I have to say thanks to the following people who have reviewed literally every chapter, it means soo much to me! kandykane33, Dramagrl, tinhyeu92, gringa088, jessesfan0409, Caitlin, JmacKarla, Elizabeth Yaster, OliverWoodsgurl and everyone else! Thanks a million :-) Steph


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